Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) continued their excellent display up to date within the new 2024-2025 Ligue 1 season as they managed to ensure a 3-1 win over Stade Brestois on September 14, 2024, at the Parc des Princes. The win maintained the streak of remaining unbeaten. Good players to grace this match included Ousmane Dembélé and Fabian Ruiz.
Pre-Match Build-Up and Team Lineups
The match gave PSG a chance to maintain their winning form ahead of the Champions League clash. Some big stars were out during the international break, among them the absence of international duties for both Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery. PSG’s coach, Luis Enrique, despite the absence of some of the biggest stars in his team, opt to parade a strong side. G Donnarumma would go ahead to hold the strings between the posts. His defense line comprised some of the best defenders PSG had, with Hakimi and Skriniar doing the job. In the midfield, it was Fabian Ruiz and Neves. Dembélé, Asensio, and Barcola were paraded in the attack.
But, on the other side, Brest was prepared, thinking to tackle PSG, especially after the loss of star player Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid during the summer transfer window. The formation at Brest looked to take advantage of any holes that PSG’s missing players were leaving open.
Brest Scores First
PSG dominated the possession early in the game but soon Brest opened the score. On 29 minutes into the match, after Brest being awarded a penalty kick, the newly signed player Romain Del Castillo scored a penalty to get the surprise of Brest winning 1-0 while leaving PSG shell-shocked because it was after the foul by PSG’s Nuno Mendes.
Response of the PSG and brilliance of Dembélé
PSG would not let the lead of Brest last very long. On the eve of half-time, Ousmane Dembélé leveled the score for PSG with a well-placed header following an excellent cross from Marco Asensio. It saw dembélé, who had joined PSG in the transfer window, growing in the team, for he has begun influencing them since his entry.
PSG piled pressure on Brest and continued to attack as the game entered its second half. At the 73rd minute, Fabian Ruiz struck a beautiful curl into the net to give PSG a 2-1 lead. Ruiz’s goal showed technical prowess, picking up from where he had ended after a good international break. A minute later, Dembélé completed his double by capitalizing on a rebound after Randal Kolo Muani’s initial shot was blocked. His second goal sealed PSG’s dominance and ensured the final 3-1 scoreline.
Tactical Substitutions and Swings in the Game
Luis Enrique used tactical substitutions to ensure they preserved possession and, therefore, the tempo of the game. On minute 63, he replaced Desire Doure and Willian Pacho for Barcola and Mendes. Later in the game, Kolo Muani and others were substituted to keep control of the rhythm of the game, as PSG resorted to conserving for a win.
Brest fought hard, but PSG’s solid defense and control in midfield made it rather difficult to them to create clear chances even after losing early. PSG also demonstrated a relatively strong ability to bounce back from losing the first goal; it showed the spirit and an ability of the team to be adaptable during difficult periods.
What This Win Means for PSG
This victory stretched the perfect start to the season: four consecutive games with four consecutive wins, scoring 16 goals. And even after losing Kylian Mbappe, the new front line of Dembélé is firing on all cylinders. Everything seems all set in every respect for the challenge ahead – the Champions League clash against Girona.
It sealed PSG’s lead at the top of the table in Ligue 1 ahead of strong challengers such as Marseille and Monaco. PSG’s form up till date has been promising, and how the team manages to hold the balance between domestic and European engagements going forward is a huge point of consideration in next week’s clashes.
In short, Brest was on an impressive performance since they have conceded just one goal in so far played two matches, and they are on great good for the last weeks.
For Brest, it was a difficult match. They did manage to score quickly, but failing to hold back the attack from PSG made them unexampled during their early lead. There are positives one can bring from the contest considering the first half when they played competently enough. The team needs to reflect fast because the next games with their opponents will not be an easy test.
PSG performed wonderfully to emerge with a 3-1 win over Brest as the attack was further being perfected and tactically used under Luis Enrique. Making the team look keen on the kickoff so far are Dembélé and Ruiz. Brest on the other hand has to learn from this match and organize their defenses as they head into even tougher games.