Ousmane Dembélé struck twice in stoppage time as Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 4-1 win over Rennes in Ligue 1 on Saturday, rounding off their preparations for the decisive second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool.
A much-rotated PSG side took control early, with Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos putting the visitors 2-0 up. Rennes briefly threatened a comeback when Lilian Brassier pulled a goal back, but Dembélé’s late brace ensured an emphatic win.
The result extends PSG’s unbeaten run in domestic competitions this season and keeps them 16 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, with Marseille set to face Lens later in the weekend.
Despite making eight changes to his starting XI, coach Luis Enrique was pleased with his team’s performance ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Anfield.
“We are in perfect condition to take on Liverpool. We have nothing to lose, and we will give everything to try and qualify,” the Spaniard said.
Luis Enrique rested several key players following PSG’s 1-0 first-leg defeat to Liverpool, with Barcola, João Neves, and Willian Pacho the only starters from that game to keep their places.
Dembélé, initially benched, made an instant impact after coming on in the second half. The Frenchman’s two late goals took his Ligue 1 tally to 20 for the season, with 28 across all competitions—an impressive return that includes 23 goals in just 18 appearances since mid-December.
Rennes, who had won four of their last five matches since Habib Beye took over as manager in January, started brightly. Teenage forward Mohamed Kader Meïté came close to levelling before half-time, hitting the crossbar with a header from Adrien Truffert’s cross.
However, PSG’s quality proved too much. Barcola opened the scoring in the 27th minute, capitalising on a quickly taken free-kick by Désiré Doué. Five minutes into the second half, Barcola turned provider, setting up Ramos for his 13th goal of the season.
Brassier’s close-range header briefly gave Rennes hope, but a wave of substitutions, including the introductions of Dembélé, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Achraf Hakimi, swung the game firmly back in PSG’s favour.
Hakimi unselfishly teed up Dembélé for his first goal in stoppage time before the winger sealed the victory with a powerful strike from the edge of the box in the 94th minute.
Lille secured a 1-0 win over Montpellier, with Jonathan David’s second-half goal making the difference. The Canadian forward netted his 14th Ligue 1 goal of the campaign, keeping Lille in fifth place, level on points with fourth-placed Monaco but behind on goal difference.
Lille now turn their attention to their Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany.
