Dembele Double Fires PSG Past Toulouse Before High-Stakes Liverpool Tie

Ousmane Dembele struck twice, including a brilliant volley, as Paris Saint-Germain secured a 3-1 win over Toulouse on Friday, maintaining their Ligue 1 lead ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.

Dembele’s opening goal was a standout effort, volleying home from the edge of the box, and he added a second before halftime after Toulouse had briefly levelled due to an error from PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov. Gonçalo Ramos scored late on to confirm the result.

The victory guarantees PSG will finish the weekend at the top of Ligue 1, with a four-point cushion over Lens, who play Lille on Saturday.

PSG had a game in hand going into the weekend, and their league fixture against Lens has been postponed until May to provide extra recovery time between the two legs of their Champions League tie.

The Parisians face Liverpool at home next Wednesday in the first leg, before the return leg at Anfield on Tuesday, April 14 — a repeat of last season’s knockout meeting, which PSG won on penalties.

While Champions League success remains the club’s primary objective, PSG are on track for a fifth straight Ligue 1 title and a 12th in 14 seasons.

Toulouse, positioned mid-table, now shift focus to their French Cup semi-final against Lens on April 21.

Luis Enrique rotated his squad after international fixtures, leaving out players including captain Marquinhos and Portuguese internationals Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and João Neves.

Dembele, in his eighth Ligue 1 start of the campaign, now leads PSG’s scoring charts with 14 goals across all competitions, 10 of them in the league.

He produced a stunning volley to give PSG the lead midway through the first half, before Toulouse equalised following a goalkeeping mishap from Safonov, who misjudged a clearance and failed to secure a corner that led to Nicolaisen’s header.

Dembele restored PSG’s advantage soon after with a close-range finish from a corner, and Ramos added a third in injury time with a low strike from outside the area to seal the win.

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