Ousmane Dembélé went into the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against FC Barcelona, likely preparing to receive boos and whistles from the home crowd. Nonetheless, all that served as motivation for a memorable performance that’s now being honored.
The Paris Saint-Germain standout scored a goal late in the first half, taking advantage of Barcelona defender João Cancelo‘s lackluster defending. Additionally, Cancelo fouled the PSG winger and generated a penalty kick opportunity, which led to Kylian Mbappé‘s goal.
The 26-year-old was recognized as the player of the match, but now Dembélé is receiving another honor that recognizes his performance. On Friday, it was announced that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was named Champions League player of the week.
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Congratulations to @dembouz, named Player of the Week in the @ChampionsLeague! 🔴🔵#UCL pic.twitter.com/FqDCU4qorD
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 19, 2024
If the Parisians want to advance to the Champions League final, they’ll need another performance like this from Dembélé in the semifinal matchup against Borussia Dortmund.
Both teams have already met in the group stage this season, so it will be a tightly contested matchup.
