Ousmane Dembélé was the man of the match in Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-1 second-leg win (6-4 on aggregate) over FC Barcelona on Tuesday night at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. However, one person close to the player revealed how they felt about how the home crowd treated the PSG standout.
During the match, Dembélé faced some whistles from the Barcelona fans. Nonetheless, after the game, when asked about the fans’ reaction, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner remained unfazed. He demonstrated his focus by scoring a goal in the 40th minute, bringing the score to 1-1 and advancing the aggregate to 4-3 in favor of his team.
Later, he earned a penalty kick for PSG, which Kylian Mbappé successfully converted in the 64th minute. This propelled PSG to a 3-1 lead in the match and a 5-4 advantage on aggregate.
Le Parisien spoke with someone close to the players and revealed how they saw Dembélé handle the entire situation with the Barcelona supporters.
“It made us feel bad for him,” someone close to the players told the French media outlet. “But he remained super calm. Like a sponge, it seemed like he didn’t care.”
✨Dans le vestiaire, une fête bat son plein. Mbappé, auteur d’un doublé, prend la parole et chambre Dembélé
«Ça nous a fait mal pour lui. Mais il est resté super calme. Comme une éponge, on aurait dit qu’il s’en foutait» un intime du groupe
Le Parisien pic.twitter.com/LkHRFcZWdP
— Paris_SGINFOS (@Paris_SGINFOS) April 17, 2024
PSG are now off to the Champions League semifinal, where they’ll face Borussia Dortmund, whom they’ve already encountered in the group stage this season.