PLAYER RATINGS | Brest 2-5 PSG: Ousmane Dembélé nets back-to-back hat-trick | OneFootball

Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Round 20, 01/02/25

For their first three encounters in February – as PSG have been drawn to face Brest in the Champions League play-off round – both teams offered a thrilling contest that would ultimately be defined by Ousmane Dembélé’s hat-trick. Gonçalo Ramos offered breathing space to PSG late on.

The Match

Despite the strain from midweek Champions League games, both PSG and Brest started with intensity. Les Parisiens had the most possession and the most goalscoring opportunities. Left-winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia missed an open net only a couple of yards away and Bradley Barcola struck Marco Bizot’s left post.

PSG eventually broke the deadlock with a carbon copy of their first goal against Manchester City in the Champions League. Bradley Barcola ran riot on his left channel to dart inside in front of Bizot. The Lyon Academy graduate selflessly passed the ball for Ousmane Dembélé to score in an open net.

Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a great save at his near post to prevent Bournemouth loanee Romain Faivre from restoring parity. The Bretons struggled to circumvent their opponents’ pressing traps. Vitinha and Marquinhos were particularly impressive in building PSG’s attacks from the back.

In the second half, Brest would restore parity as Romain Del Castillo punished a lenient clearance from Willian Pacho. Doubt didn’t creep long for Les Parisiens as Dembélé took matters in his own feet.  The striker scored two more quickfire goals, benefiting from his teammates’ great work, but one has to appreciate the France international’s new-found ruthlessness. Luis Enrique rang up the changes and Dembélé exited the pitch, thinking the game was already beyond Brest’s reach.

It could have been the opposite as PSG defenders continued to make unforced errors. Achraf Hakimi lost possession in front of his penalty box and Ludovic Ajorque halved the deficit with a powerful effort past Donnarumma.

PSG subs eventually came to the rescue with Désiré Doué launching a one-man counter-attack before releasing the on-rushing Gonçalo Ramos for PSG’s fourth goal. The former Benfica youth product swelled PSG’s lead in injury time.

Brest player ratings

Marco Bizot – 4

Kenny Lala – 5

Brendan Chardonnet – 4

Abdoulaye Ndiaye – 4

Luck Zogbé – 4

Mahdi Camara – 5

Pierre Lees-Melou – 4

The GFFN100 winner was obviously a bit short of rhythm after his return from injury and it showed against a midfield as dominant as PSG’s.

Romain Faivre – 5

Romain Del Castillo – 6

Ludovic Ajorque – 7

The Brest centre-forward proved again why he is one of Ligue 1’s best target men. Ajorque’s effortless display was rewarded with another great goal.

Abdallah Sima – 6

PSG player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5

Achraf Hakimi – 4

Marquinhos – 5

Willian Pacho – 4

Nuno Mendes – 5

Kang-in Lee – 6

Vitinha – 6

Fabian Ruiz – 5

Bradley Barcola – 6

Ousmane Dembélé – 9

On the back of his midweek Champions League hat-trick at Stuttgart, the Rennes Academy graduate kept his goalscoring boots on. He scored his ninth goal since the turn of the year by applying a simple finish in an open net after a great run from Barcola. He scored his second after Abdoulaye Ndiaye failed to clear the ball in the penalty box and then his third from close range at the far post. Dembélé scored seven goals in a week, topping Ligue 1’s goalscoring charts with 14 goals. He’s on cloud nine.

Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia – 5

For his second consecutive Ligue 1 start, the Georgian international has missed a big chance to open his PSG account early in the second half. Although he was involved for Dembélé’s second goal, the former Napoli winger clearly needs minutes to build up match fitness. Hooked at the hour mark.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval