PSG Archives

PSG defeat Le Havre to extend lead over Lens at top of Ligue 1

Bradley Barcola scored, and Desire Doue had a penalty saved as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) held on for a 1-0 win away to Le Havre on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to four points.

PSG were looking to take advantage of another slip-up by title rivals Lens, who were held to a 1-1 draw away at Strasbourg on Friday to go two games without a win.

Luis Enrique’s side duly got the job done with Barcola heading in from a Lee Kang-in cross on 37 minutes for his ninth goal of the season.

It was not a full-strength PSG, with Ousmane Dembele again out injured along with Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, while skipper Marquinhos was among the players rested.

Doue came off the bench in the second half and won a penalty with just over 10 minutes remaining, but his kick was kept out by Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw diving to his right. PSG have converted only five of their 10 spot-kicks this season.

Diaw also produced a fine reaction save from Nuno Mendes while PSG goalkeeper Matfei Safonov made a key stop to deny Issa Soumare at the other end.

“There are no nice and easy games for PSG because every match is important. We need to get players back and improve because we have less confidence than usual at the moment,” said Luis Enrique.

The reigning European champions are gearing up for a Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea and have now won nine out of 10 Ligue 1 games played since the start of December.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“It is the first time we have had a four-point gap at the top, so this is a time for us to be happy. It was important to get the win here,” added the coach.

Elsewhere in France on Saturday, Rennes made it two wins out of two under new coach Franck Haise as they beat Toulouse 1-0 in Brittany thanks to Arnaud Nordin’s first-half goal.

Monaco got back on track after losing to PSG in their Champions League play-off tie as USA star Folarin Balogun and Simon Adingra scored in a 2-0 win over Angers.

Balogun, who is expected to be a key player for the United States at the World Cup, now has 12 goals this season in all competitions, including four in his last four games.

Marseille, in fourth play host to third-placed Lyon on Sunday in a key game in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Pablo Longoria left his position as Marseille president on Saturday evening, the Spaniard departing after five years to be replaced on an interim basis by Alban Juster.

Longoria’s departure comes amid a period of turbulence at the 1993 European champions, who saw coach Roberto De Zerbi leave just under three weeks ago in the wake of a 5-0 defeat away to PSG and their elimination from the Champions League.

De Zerbi has been replaced in the dugout by Habib Beye. Director of football Medhi Benatia recently announced he was stepping down, before it was confirmed he would stay on until the end of the season at the club owned by US tycoon Frank McCourt.

READ: Asian football postpones club knockouts after US, Israel strikes

PSG survive Monaco scare to reach Champions League last 16

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) came from behind and then survived a late scare against 10-man Monaco, drawing 2-2 in the second leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie on Wednesday to reach the last 16 with a 5-4 aggregate victory.

The defending European champions recovered from two behind to win 3-2 in the principality in last week’s first leg, a game in which Monaco had a man sent off early in the second half.

The scenario this time was similar, with French international Maghnes Akliouche giving Monaco a deserved interval lead on the night to level the scores overall.

However, the visitors had Mamadou Coulibaly sent off on 58 minutes, and that proved the catalyst for PSG to make it 1-1 through Marquinhos before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia seemed to have clinched the aggregate triumph.

Jordan Teze did make it 2-2 in stoppage time, and Wout Faes then missed a great chance, but PSG held on to progress to the next round.

Luis Enrique’s team will now find out on Friday their potential opponents all the way to the final in Budapest, with Barcelona and Chelsea their possible rivals in the last 16.

Paris beat Barcelona 2-1 away during the league phase in October and have faced the Catalans in five knockout ties since 2013. They played Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup last year, losing 3-0, their only blip in a remarkable campaign.

While PSG’s dream of retaining the title remains alive, Monaco go out in the play-offs for the second season running.

PSG were widely expected to get the better of their domestic rivals — Monaco are currently eighth in Ligue 1, 20 points behind the leaders, although they did beat the Parisians in November.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The principality side had not won a Champions League knockout tie since their run to the semi-finals in 2017 with a side featuring a teenage Kylian Mbappe.

Having been 2-0 up inside 18 minutes last week, Monaco really should have scored within 10 minutes here, but Coulibaly blazed over from an Akliouche cutback. They then came close again when a Folarin Balogun chip was tipped over by Matfei Safonov.

Bradley Barcola struck the bar for PSG, who were missing the injured Ousmane Dembele, but Monaco had been the better team and took a deserved lead just before half-time.

Caio Henrique’s ball into the middle from the left found Coulibaly, and he laid it off for Akliouche to slot in.

The tie was now all square, but it swung back in the way of the defending champions when Coulibaly was sent off just before the hour, leaving his team a man short, like in the first leg when Aleksandr Golovin saw red.

Having been booked just a few minutes earlier for fouling Nuno Mendes, this time he was late into a challenge on Achraf Hakimi and a second yellow was produced by the Romanian referee.

PSG scored from the resulting free-kick, which was played short to Doue on the right and his low ball was turned in from close range by Marquinhos.

The momentum was now with PSG, and they went ahead on the night on 66 minutes as Hakimi’s powerful strike was only parried by goalkeeper Philipp Koehn, allowing Kvaratskhelia to convert the loose ball.

Monaco still came within a whisker of forcing extra time, substitute Teze turned in a deflected Simon Adingra centre in stoppage time to make it 2-2, and Faes very nearly scored another.

READ: Galatasaray hold off Juventus to make Champions League last 16

French court orders PSG to pay Mbappe over 60 million euros

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were ordered to pay their former forward Kylian Mbappe up to 61 million euros ($71.8 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses by a French labour court on Tuesday.

France captain Mbappe, who left PSG in June 2024 to join Real Madrid, had been claiming over 260 million euros in total from his former club.

PSG, in turn, had demanded that Mbappe pay them 440 million euros.

Mbappe, 26, also claimed that the Parisian club applied the wrong French legal classification to his contract, but the court rejected that claim.

The labour court said the final figure of between 60 million and 61 million euros was made up of 55 million euros in unpaid salary and around six million euros in holiday payments.

Qatari-owned PSG did not immediately say if they intend to appeal.

Lawyers for Mbappe said in a statement they “noted with satisfaction the decision given by the labour court”.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“It re-establishes a simple truth — even in the professional football industry, labour laws apply to everyone,” the lawyers added in a statement.

The French club had said they were basing the figure they were claiming in part on a botched 300m-euro transfer to Saudi club Al Hilal, which Mbappe refused in June 2023.

Mbappe left for Real Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expired the following summer.

He insisted he made no agreement in 2023 to waive any payment from the club.

Mbappe initially filed a complaint in June over the way he was treated by PSG at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Mbappe argues that he was sidelined by PSG and made to train with players the club were trying to offload after refusing to agree a new contract.

It is a widespread practice that in France prompted the players’ union to lodge a complaint last year.

Mbappe was not invited to take part in PSG’s 2023 pre-season tour of Asia and missed the first game of that season, but was later recalled to the team after holding talks with the club.

After seven seasons with PSG he joined Real Madrid where he earns a reported annual salary of 30m euros.

Mbappe scored 256 goals in 308 games for PSG, but the club won the Champions League for the first time last season following his departure.

READ: Azhar Mahmood’s coaching stint with Pakistan Test Team comes to an end

Hakimi becomes first defender in 52 years to win African Footballer of the Year

Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi won the African Men’s African Footballer of the Year award on Wednesday, capping a season in which he lifted the UEFA Champions League with his club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The 27-year-old also won a fourth Ligue 1 title last season and claimed the French Cup and UEFA Super Cup; however PSG came up short in the final of the Club World Cup as Hakimi was forced to settle for a runners-up medal in New York.

The right-back beat out two past winners in Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen to claim the prize for the first time in his career.

Notably, he became the first defender in 52 years to win the African Footballer of the Year title.

“It’s really an honour for me to be here today and I’m proud to win such a prestigious trophy,” Hakimi said, before thanking his family, teammates and Morocco coach Walid Regragui.

“This trophy, it’s not just for me, it’s for all the strong men and women that have dreams in Africa and those that dream of becoming footballers.”

Hakimi is currently nursing a severely sprained ankle, but if fit, will lead hosts Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations from December 21 as they seek to win the competition for the first time since 1976.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak claimed the prize for the best women’s player on the continent, beating out fellow countrywoman Sanaa Mssoudy and Nigerian Rasheedat Ajibade.

The Al Hilal attacker was the leading scorer in the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations this year, although her side went down to Nigeria in the decider.

It was a bumper day for the ceremony’s host country, Morocco, as Yassine Bounou scooped up the best men’s goalkeeper award and the Moroccan under-20 World Cup-winning side was voted best men’s national team.

Watford 20-year-old Othmane Maamma of Morocco claimed best young men’s player, while compatriot Doha El Madani retained the title of best young women’s player.

Cape Verde boss Bubista was awarded men’s coach of the year after leading the nation with a population of 525,000 to a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Nigerian shotstopper Chiamaka Nnadozie won her third consecutive women’s goalkeeper of the year award.

READ: Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim joins elite club with century in 100th Test

Kylian Mbappe, PSG face off in multi-million lawsuit

The long-running dispute between Kylian Mbappe and his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) moved to the French labour court on Monday, with both sides presenting staggering financial claims.

Mbappe, now a Real Madrid player, is seeking €263 million ($304m) from PSG, while the club is demanding €440 million in return, citing lost transfer revenue, reputational damage, and an alleged breach of a post-transfer agreement.

The conflict traces back to June 2023, when PSG attempted to transfer Mbappe to Saudi club Al Hilal for €300 million, a move the striker refused.

Mbappe subsequently left Paris on a free transfer when his contract expired the following summer.

PSG lawyer Renaud Semerdjian confirmed the club’s claim, explaining that the €440 million figure reflects both financial losses and damage to PSG’s image.

Mbappe, who did not attend Monday’s hearing, denies ever agreeing to waive any payments from the club and has challenged the classification of his contract under French labour law.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The dispute also stems from Mbappe’s treatment at PSG during the 2023-24 season.

According to the France captain, he was sidelined, forced to train with players PSG were looking to offload, and excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.

The striker initially filed a complaint in June over what he described as unfair treatment by the Qatari-owned club.

Mbappe spent seven seasons at PSG, scoring 256 goals in 308 appearances, but left just before the club captured their first Champions League title. He now earns a reported €30 million annually at Real Madrid.

The tribunal is expected to take several weeks before delivering a verdict, with a decision anticipated on December 16.

READ: Donald Trump unveils fast-track visas for World Cup 2026 ticket holders

Vitinha says PSG-Bayern Champions League clash will show who’s ‘best’

Portuguese midfielder Vitinha said Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) home clash with undefeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday will be a meeting between “the two best teams in Europe”.

PSG come into the sternest test yet of their European title defence, top of the French Ligue 1, and with three wins from three so far in the league phase.

But their opponents, Bayern, have started their season with a European record 15 wins in 15 outings, and sit second behind only PSG in the standings in the continent’s elite club competition.

“We are the two best teams in Europe. Bayern are in fantastic form. We’re also doing well, continuing our momentum from last year,” Vitinha told his pre-match press conference on Monday.

But as for who is mightiest between the two heavyweights, the 25-year-old said Tuesday’s match will tell.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“The answer will be given tomorrow. We have to talk on the pitch,” he told reporters.

“When you’re a player, you want to play in this type of match because everyone wants to see it, and people will say, ‘this team is better because they won’.”

PSG coach Luis Enrique was, however, more temperate in his build-up to the game.

“To find out who is the best team in Europe, we have to wait until the end of the season and see how many trophies each team wins,” the 55-year-old said.

“Right now, it’s clear they are very strong… It’s incredible that they’ve won their last 15 matches. We already have trouble winning three or four matches.”

If PSG have been less dominant than Bayern domestically — drawing three matches and losing one in 11 league outings — Luis Enrique said supporters should still “trust” his side to show they can best the Bavarians.

“Do you think that I or the supporters should assess our team? I don’t think so, we deserve to have a little trust,” the Spaniard said.

“But tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Parc des Princes with our supporters, we have the confidence we need to overcome their pressing game.”

READ: Afghanistan Cricket Board set to part ways with Jonathon Trott

Ousmane Dembele scores on return as PSG hammer Leverkusen

Ousmane Dembele scored on his return from injury as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, as both teams finished with 10 men.

Ballon d’Or winner Dembele scored PSG’s sixth just three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute for his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in early September.

Desire Doue bagged a brace while Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha also hit the net at Leverkusen’s BayArena as the visitors laid down the gauntlet to their European rivals.

“We are a team that always wants to win everything. This season, we want to win everything again,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

“That will be difficult, but we have the confidence we gained last year. We want this title again.”

Aleix Garcia scored both of the hosts’ goals while PSG lost centre-back Illia Zabarnyi to a red card on 37 minutes, as he conceded a second spot-kick of the match.

Leverkusen also had captain Robert Andrich dismissed for crashing his elbow into Doue’s jaw a few minutes earlier.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand told Amazon Prime that his side “lost it in seven minutes before halftime”.

“We were level, but we wanted too much,” he added. “We were too open and made too many mistakes in that seven-minute period.

“We met the best team in the world right now. They’re very strong.”

PSG have been injury-hit and inconsistent this season, but once both teams were reduced to 10 men, they dominated their hapless hosts.

PSG’s bid to go back-to-back on the European stage will face tougher tests than the rebuilding Leverkusen, who fielded six starters who only joined the club in the summer.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The French champions showcased their attacking riches alongside the steel needed to overcome setbacks borne out of last year’s breakthrough campaign.

PSG’s preparation for the game was boosted by the news that Dembele and captain Marquinhos were fit enough to travel to Germany.

The duo, crucial to PSG’s barnstorming treble last season, watched on from the bench as PSG took the lead after just seven minutes.

Mendes hit a cross over the Leverkusen defence for Pacho to head in at the far post.

Leverkusen were awarded a penalty for a Zabarnyi handball with 25 minutes gone, but Alejandro Grimaldo hit the post with his spot-kick.

The writing looked to be on the wall for Leverkusen when they were reduced to 10 men by Andrich’s needless foul on Doue on 33 minutes.

But they were then handed a lifeline shortly afterwards when Zabarnyi’s performance went from bad to nightmarish as he gave away a second penalty and saw red for clumsily bringing down Christian Kofane as the last man, with Garcia scoring from the spot.

Rather than tighten up, the red card galvanised the French side, who reacted by scoring three goals in eight minutes to stun the hosts.

Doue scored twice, either side of a Kvaratskhelia scorcher, to go into the break 4-1 up and cruising.

Mendes scored five minutes into the second half to help PSG pick up where they had left off.

While Garcia’s long-distance stunner on 54 minutes was a rare Leverkusen highlight, PSG had the last words.

Dembele cut the ball home from a tight angle, and Vitinha added even more gloss on the final score, rounding out an incredible European night for the defending champions.

READ: Liverpool ‘better team’ despite losing streak, says Frankfurt coach

Ousmane Dembele set for PSG return after six weeks out

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele is in line to make his return from injury for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, a source close to the club told AFP on Monday.

The news will come as a welcome boost for PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been struggling with injuries this season.

Dembele, 28, has been out for six weeks with a hamstring problem he suffered on international duty with France in early September.

He had been recuperating at a specialist clinic in Qatar and returned to training last week.

He missed out on PSG’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Strasbourg on Friday but is part of the first team squad for Tuesday’s match in Germany, the source said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

PSG published images of Dembele training normally on Saturday.

The reigning European and French champions welcomed back forwards Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was a substitute, against Strasbourg.

They are, however, still missing midfield duo Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, although some media have reported that captain Marquinhos has travelled to Germany with the squad.

“I don’t know when the injured players will return,” Luis Enrique had said on Thursday, adding that the club did not want to “take risks with the players’ health”.

They have made a strong start to their Champions League defence, beating Atalanta and Barcelona in their opening two matches, while Leverkusen drew with FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven.

READ: Harry Brook, Phil Salt star as England hammer New Zealand

Flick stresses ‘hard work’ for Lamine Yamal to reach top level

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has urged the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to work hard on his game ahead of the Champions League clash against Paris-Saint-Germain.

The holders visit Barcelona on Wednesday, and 18-year-old winger Yamal is keen to shine after finishing as runner-up at the Ballon d’Or gala last week, behind PSG’s Ousmane Dembele.

Yamal returned from a groin injury on Sunday against Real Sociedad in La Liga and provided an assist a minute after coming off the bench during a bright second-half cameo.

“(Calling him) super, super, super… I don’t like this… he’s 18 years old and for me he also has to focus on working hard,” Flick told reporters.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“It’s not always easy, with talent you can get to this point, but to reach the next level, one or two steps more — and I think he’s able to do that — he has to work hard.”

Last season, Barcelona won a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup, but fell just short in the Champions League, beaten in the semi-finals by Inter Milan despite two sensational displays by Yamal.

Against Luis Enrique’s attacking PSG side Flick demanded Yamal and his team-mates knuckle down when the French champions are in possession.

“It’s not only about playing with the ball, it’s also defending,” continued Flick.

“This is what we need from every player — even a great player with the ball like him — and this makes the difference.”

Flick said to beat PSG, his team had to concentrate from “the first second to the end of the match” and play at their highest level.

READ: Shakib will never play for Bangladesh again: Sports advisor

PSG captain Marquinhos out with thigh injury

Club captain Marquinhos has joined the growing list of big-name absentees for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after suffering a thigh issue, the European champions announced on Friday.

The 31-year-old Brazilian defender “will undergo treatment on a left thigh injury over the next few weeks”, PSG announced on their website.

The latest injury blow for Luis Enrique’s side comes in the wake of injuries to stars Joao Neves and Desire Doue, as well as recent Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

PSG did not specify when Marquinhos picked up the injury, with the centre-half playing the full 90 minutes of his side’s last outing, a 1-0 defeat at arch-rivals Marseille on Monday in which Marquinhos scored an own goal.

When contacted by AFP, PSG did not immediately respond.

Bradley Barcola was, however, present at Friday’s training session ahead of PSG’s league meeting with Auxerre this weekend, after having missed the Marseille defeat due to muscle fatigue in his thigh.

PSG then next face Barcelona at home in the Champions League on Wednesday, before travelling to Lille in Ligue 1 action on October 5.

READ: La Liga champions Barcelona claim comeback win at Real Oviedo