Missed penalty, no shot on target... Ousmane Dembélé missed against Angers

It's been a long time since we've seen Ousmane Dembélé miss out on a match like that ( PSG's 1-0 victory against Angers ). We're still a long way from sounding the alarm bell, but for a player of his caliber and after a superb statistical season (35 goals, 14 assists), going three matches without scoring is not insignificant. We can even add a fourth match if we count the defeat in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea (0-3), on July 13.

In Ligue 1, the Parisian hasn't scored since March 16, when Marseille hosted the Parc des Princes (3-1). In the meantime, he has played seven league matches without scoring a single goal. An eternity. However, the figures should be qualified, due to a necessarily less motivating end to the season in Ligue 1 - the title having been won quickly - and the significant investment in the quest for the Champions League, which is particularly energy-consuming.

After being the best Parisian in Udine during the European Super Cup against Tottenham (2-2, 4-3 on penalties, on August 13) and author of a convincing entry in Nantes (1-0, last Sunday), Dembélé did not achieve much on Friday evening, in a start to the season where the lack of physical preparation remains an important factor to remember.

"He helped us last season, and he will do so again this season."

We thought his goal tally would open this season after a penalty won by Joao Neves, for which he took responsibility, even though Vitinha was the designated penalty taker. But the 2018 world champion's right-footed shot soared high into the Parisian sky (27th). He's not the only one responsible, but PSG have now missed two penalties in a row in Ligue 1, following Gonçalo Ramos's 3-1 win against Auxerre in May. This is the first time since 2014 and two misses by Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"It doesn't affect him ," Fabian Ruiz said after the match. "It's not very important. He helped us last season, and it will be the case again this season." Since Ousmane Dembélé is not a man who doubts, he didn't get discouraged by such a small move, and came close to finishing off a superb individual move in the process. But the numbers are there: the former Barcelona player finished the match without a single shot on target. Two of his three shots even ended up very far from the goal (41st, 45th).

Repositioned on the right side of the attack at half-time, after starting in the middle, the Frenchman was able to touch more balls and regain a greater influence on the Parisian game in the second half, notably with five final passes before a shot (a Parisian record). Small consolation for an evening probably already forgotten in his mind.