A 6-1 Win Makes Former Ballon d'Or Winner a Star Again: 2 Goals, 2 Assists, 6 Key Passes

The first round of the UEFA Champions League league phase featured a match in which Paris Saint-Germain hosted Bratislava. PSG had a very poor start to the season, first losing to Lens in the French Super Cup and missing out on the title, then failing to win any of their first three league matches with a record of two draws and one loss, leaving them 13th in the standings, which was quite unexpected. Now in the Champions League, PSG faced Bratislava, who were fourth in the Slovak Super League. It was a good opportunity for PSG to secure a victory. In the end, there were no surprises as Paris Saint-Germain scored six goals and defeated Bratislava heavily.

Paris Saint-Germain lined up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation for this match. The attacking trio of Dembele, Ferran Torres, and Akliouche started together. Doué-Fernandez, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz formed the three-man midfield. Achraf Hakimi, Zabarnyi, William Pacho, and Nuno Mendes started as the four defenders. Safonov was the starting goalkeeper. Kvaratskhelia, Doué, Joao Neves, and Digne were among those waiting on the bench.

Soon after the match began, Paris Saint-Germain created a very good chance. Doué faced the goalkeeper from the right side of the penalty area, but his shot was blocked. In the 17th minute, PSG scored! Nuno Mendes' long-range effort struck the post and bounced out. Dembele collected the ball and fired another shot into the net. Four minutes later, Akliouche's curling effort went over the bar. In the 23rd minute, Dembele scored with a header to complete a brace. In the 31st minute, Dembele delivered a cross, and Ferran Torres finished from close range. At halftime, Paris Saint-Germain led Bratislava 3-0.

The second half began with both teams changing ends. In the 47th minute, Paris Saint-Germain scored again! Ferran Torres curled a shot into the net near the edge of the penalty area. In the 57th minute, PSG scored once more! This time it was again created by Dembele, who delivered a corner kick, and Ferran Torres scored with a first-time finish in the center of the box to complete his hat-trick. Soon after, Suleiman Kamara broke through forcefully and scored with a powerful shot from a tight angle, helping Bratislava pull one goal back. In the 88th minute, Fabian Ruiz scored with a strike inside the penalty area. In the end, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bratislava 6-1 to make a winning start in the Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain had 72% possession in this match, took 35 shots, including 14 on target, and scored six goals. Former Ballon d'Or winner Dembele produced a remarkable performance, directly creating four goals, including two goals and two assists, while also recording a match-high six key passes and four successful dribbles. Dembele has directly contributed to 10 of Paris Saint-Germain's last 12 Champions League goals.