Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - RC Strasbourg v Paris Saint-Germain - Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg, France - Oct 17, 2026 Paris St Germain's Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Published : 18 Oct 2026, 01:36 AM
Updated : 18 Oct 2026, 01:36 AM
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique gambled with a much-changed starting lineup and was almost made to pay as the Ligue 1 champions rode their luck to claim a 3-1 victory at RC Strasbourg on Saturday.
Gio Reyna put the home side ahead in the first half and they might have added to that tally but for the brilliance of PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
Ousmane Dembele missed a penalty for the visitors in the second half but minutes later they were level through Ilya Zabarnyi before Dembele scored five minutes from the end of the 90 and Desire Doue added a third in added time.
The win moves PSG top of the table on 14 points from seven games, ahead of second-placed AS Monaco on goals scored before the principality side visit Lorient on Sunday.
Strasbourg are in 12th place with seven points.
Luis Enrique made eight changes to his team from the midweek Champions League win at Manchester City with only Safonov, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Maghnes Akliouche selected again.
Strasbourg opened the scoring after 17 minutes when Reyna found space in the box and his shot took a deflection off PSG defender Lucas Hernandez and squeezed in at the near post.
Safonov made an excellent save low to his left from Conrad Harder's header, and then repeated the feat to deny the striker from a fierce angled drive as he pushed the ball onto the post.
PSG were awarded a penalty with 20 minutes remaining following a handball by Pape Demba Diop but Dembele put his low shot wide of the left-hand post.
The tide had swung in favour of the visitors though as they brought the cavalry off the bench and Dembele atoned for his missed spot-kick with a superb cross that was side-footed into the net by the unlikely figure of defender Zabarnyi.
Dembele used his quick feet on the edge of the box to create a shooting chance and buried the ball low into the net before Doue was given too much space at the back post and sealed the win.