Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League is in the books, with Paris Saint-Germain being one of the clubs to emerge victorious. Ousmane Dembélé didn’t register a goal or an assist, but CBS Sports put the winger in their ideal starting 11 for the first round of matches.
While some make jokes on social media over his stat line, the 26-year-old helped generate plenty of scoring chances in the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner registered six key passes on 94 touches.
“You could make a case for any one of half a dozen PSG players making this XI, so impressive were they in putting Borussia Dortmund to the sword,” CBS Sports’ James Benge wrote. “Then again, Kylian Mbappe’s excellence on the Champions League can rather be priced in, arguably even the same for a veteran such as Marquinhos.
“Given that he was making his European debut for his new club and just his fifth appearance for the French champions, his display was exceptional. No one on the pitch created more chances, and few players over the entire week managed as many progressive carries as Dembele. Just look at the occasions where he moves the ball into dangerous areas in or just outside the penalty box.”
The other attacking players that joined Dembélé were FC Barcelona’s João Félix, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, and Manchester City’s Julián Álvarez. As a result, the PSG star found himself in good company.
Furthermore, Luis Enrique notes that Dembélé is one of the players he would pay to watch if the Spanish boss were a fan. Dembélé has played five matches in all competitions for PSG and likely wants to get that zero goals and zero assists stat line off his shoulders.
Even with those numbers, Enrique sees what the Frenchman brings. The former FC Barcelona star will look to record his first goal or assist in Le Classique when Olympique de Marseille visits the Parc des Princes on Sunday.
