Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue rescue PSG with late goals to sink Strasbourg

Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue came off the bench to inspire Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 comeback victory over Strasbourg, helping the champions climb to second in Ligue 1 after surviving a difficult evening at the Stade de la Meinau.

PSG struggled to turn their possession into goals after Giovanni Reyna gave Strasbourg a first-half lead, but the introduction of Dembele proved decisive as the visitors scored three times to snatch all three points.

Illia Zabarnyi restored parity before Dembele struck late to complete the turnaround, with Doue adding a third in stoppage time to secure a crucial victory ahead of PSG’s Champions League meeting with Barcelona.

The defeat ended Strasbourg’s hopes of extending their unbeaten league run to four matches, while their inability to keep PSG out continued a frustrating trend in this fixture.

Reyna punishes wasteful PSG

Both sides started brightly, creating opportunities in an entertaining opening period. PSG could have taken the lead early, but Maghnes Akliouche squandered a golden opportunity by firing wide with the goal at his mercy.

The visitors gradually established control and put Strasbourg’s defence under sustained pressure. Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen kept his side in the contest with an excellent point-blank save to deny Ferran Torres, whose towering header looked destined for the net.

Strasbourg, however, needed only one opportunity to make their mark.

Reyna broke the deadlock in the 17th minute, beating Matvey Safonov at his near post with a low effort that gave the hosts an unexpected advantage.

The goal failed to settle the contest, with both teams continuing to threaten in an open first half. By the half-hour mark, each side had registered six attempts, although the quality of their finishing left plenty to be desired.

Fabio Balde missed a promising opportunity when he dragged his effort across goal, while PSG continued to dominate possession without finding a breakthrough.

The visitors controlled 78.4 per cent of the ball during the final 15 minutes of the first half but went into the interval trailing, leaving them with plenty to do after the restart.

Safonov keeps PSG alive

PSG returned from the break determined to find an equaliser, immediately pushing Strasbourg deeper into their own half.

However, the hosts remained organised, with Pape Diop particularly effective in disrupting the visitors’ attacking moves.

Safonov also produced a crucial intervention to prevent PSG from falling further behind, making a stunning one-handed save to his left to keep out Conrad Harder’s goal-bound header.

The Russian goalkeeper’s intervention gave his teammates renewed belief, but PSG continued to struggle to break down Strasbourg’s defence.

The hosts threatened to extend their lead as Gessime Yassine, Harder and Jeyland Mitchell tested Safonov in quick succession.

With 20 minutes remaining, PSG were handed an opportunity to change the course of the match when VAR identified a handball by Diop inside the penalty area.

Dembele, introduced from the bench, stepped up but dragged his penalty wide of Jorgensen’s right-hand post, wasting a golden chance to level the score.

Dembele and Doue complete comeback

Dembele quickly recovered from his penalty disappointment to become the architect of PSG’s revival.

The Ballon d’Or winner delivered a precise cross that found Zabarnyi unmarked in the box, allowing the defender to tap home the equaliser and bring the visitors back into the contest.

With momentum now firmly on their side, PSG continued to press for a winner, and Dembele made amends for his earlier miss by drilling home a late second goal to put the visitors ahead.

Strasbourg could not find a response as PSG seized control of the closing stages, with Doue completing the comeback in stoppage time with a simple finish.

The late goals ensured PSG avoided a damaging setback and moved into second place in Ligue 1, giving them renewed confidence before their European assignment against Barcelona.