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Ousmane Dembele delivered a moment of magic in stoppage time to hand Paris Saint-Germain a 1-0 victory over AS Monaco and secure the French Champions Trophy in Doha on Sunday evening, Soccernet.football reports.
The match, played at the iconic Stadium 974 — one of the venues from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar — saw PSG lift the trophy for the 11th time in 12 seasons.
Despite dominating much of the game, Luis Enrique’s side struggled to find the net until Dembele’s dramatic late intervention.
PSG’s wastefulness in front of goal, which has plagued them in key Champions League matches this season, resurfaced as Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Koehn produced a series of fine saves.
Early on, Desire Doue rattled the crossbar after capitalising on a loose pass from Koehn, while Vitinha narrowly missed the target and Lee Kang-in forced Koehn into a spectacular save.
Monaco had their moments too, with Gianluigi Donnarumma denying Maghnes Akliouche and Eliesse Ben Seghir, while Vanderson struck the post in the second half. However, as the clock ticked down and penalties loomed, PSG ramped up the pressure.
The breakthrough came in the 92nd minute when substitute Fabian Ruiz surged down the left wing and delivered a perfectly weighted low cross into the box. Dembele, arriving at the far post, coolly slotted home to spark jubilant celebrations among the PSG players and staff.
This year’s Champions Trophy was originally scheduled for Beijing in August but was relocated to Qatar after Chinese authorities called off the event. The venue shift added an extra layer of intrigue, given Qatar’s ownership of PSG through Qatar Sports Investments.
PSG’s win in Doha adds another domestic accolade to their impressive haul, following a dominant 2024 season in which they swept all domestic honours and ended the year 10 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
With Dembele in fine form, the Parisians now look poised to chase another treble.
