UCL: Champions PSG Hammer Leverkusen 7-2
Ousmane Dembele scored on his return from injury as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain 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.
The French champions showcased their attacking riches alongside the steel needed to overcome setbacks borne out of last year’s breakthrough campaign.
