Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves didn’t hold back in their assessment of Ousmane Dembele’s performance as PSG bowed out of the Champions League.
The Frenchman, signed from Barcelona in the summer, featured in PSG’s forward line during their semi-final clash against Borussia Dortmund. Where they failed to score in three hours of football, resulting in a 2-0 aggregate defeat and Dortmund’s progression to the final.
Despite PSG’s attacking efforts, including hitting the woodwork multiple times, they couldn’t breach Dortmund’s defense, with Mats Hummels sealing the win for the German side at the Parc des Princes. While much attention was on Kylian Mbappe, Ferdinand and Hargreaves singled out Dembele for criticism.
Ferdinand observed, “I thought he was really quiet over the two legs. Dortmund handled him really well. This is unusual for Mbappe, we’re used to seeing him stepping up in the biggest moments and in the biggest games. All through his career he’s stepped up but he was subdued over the two legs.”
Hargreaves chimed in, asking Ferdinand about Dembele’s performance, to which Ferdinand responded, “He was terrible.”
Dembele, facing his former club Dortmund, struggled to make an impact. After an underwhelming stint at Barcelona, he returned to PSG but is yet to fully win over his critics. With Mbappe likely departing for Real Madrid, players like Dembele will need to step up as PSG prepares for the post-Mbappe era.
Manager Luis Enrique acknowledged PSG’s disappointment, stating, “When the result is like that, it’s difficult, of course. A tight match, but to be honest I think we have to win the match. We created 31 shots, four [times hitting the woodwork] – football is so unfair sometimes.”
Despite the defeat, Enrique praised Dortmund’s performance and wished them success in the final.
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