For Ousmane Dembele, the road between brilliance and heartbreak continues to blur. The Paris Saint-Germain winger, recent off his Ballon d’Or triumph, had barely returned to full type when one other merciless coincidence struck below the lights of the Parc des Princes. France, too, now waits in anxious suspense — with essential 2026 World Cup Qualifiers looming, the nationwide crew’s plans could have been thrown into sudden disarray.
It was imagined to be an evening of redemption. As a substitute, it turned one other entry within the irritating saga of a participant whose dazzling potential has too usually been interrupted by premature accidents.
The drama unfolded swiftly throughout PSG’s 2-1 house defeat to Bayern Munich within the UEFA Champions League. Within the twenty third minute, Dembele appeared to have given Paris a lifeline, netting the ball along with his chest previous Manuel Neuer — just for VAR to rule him marginally offside. Moments later, catastrophe struck.
After solely 25 minutes, the Frenchman signaled discomfort and was substituted by supervisor Luis Enrique, visibly annoyed as he stormed straight down the tunnel. “We must wait till tomorrow to see the outcomes of the exams to search out out the extent of the accidents,” Enrique instructed AFP after the match. “However Ousmane’s harm has nothing to do along with his final one.”
That assertion, calm on the floor, barely masked the priority. The winger, who had already missed important time earlier within the season as a result of a hamstring situation, had simply made his second begin since returning. The Parisians went on to lose the match, undone by Luis Diaz’s brace and one other blow to Achraf Hakimi, who was compelled off with an ankle sprain.
Dembele’s situation confirmed: What it means for the membership and France
By the subsequent day, the unhealthy information turned official. In a membership assertion quoted by Fabrizio Romano, PSG confirmed that Ousmane Dembele has suffered a lesion in his left calf and can “obtain therapy within the coming weeks.”
The harm got here simply because the French star had been regaining rhythm. The 28-year-old has already missed seven matches this season as a result of muscular issues, and this newest setback means he’ll miss the journey to Lyon this weekend — in addition to France’s upcoming qualifiers towards Ukraine and Azerbaijan later this month.
It’s a bitter blow for each membership and nation. For Paris, Dembele’s tempo and unpredictability on the fitting flank have been important to Luis Enrique’s system. For Les Bleus, in the meantime, his absence removes one of many few gamers able to turning tight matches with particular person aptitude.
Whereas the membership has not offered an actual timeline, stories from RMC Sport counsel the ahead may very well be out for “a number of weeks.” In soccer phrases, meaning lacking a key stretch that features home and worldwide fixtures — doubtlessly returning solely after the subsequent worldwide break.
