Yaya Toure’s brave gamble meets a brutal PSG reality

Sometimes, you simply find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.Slovan Bratislava could hardly have picked a worse moment to visit Paris. Paris Saint-Germain had made a poor start to the domestic season, were looking to vent their frustration, and were opening the defence of the Champions League titles they have won in the past two seasons.Yaya Toure's side arrived at the Parc des Princes with a commendable idea: they wanted to play football. ##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ht" dir="ltr">𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐓-𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 ⚽⚽⚽<br><br>4️⃣ 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒, 5️⃣ 𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐋𝐒 🔥<br><br>Ousmane Dembélé with ⚽⚽🅰️🅰️<br><br>When it&#39;s Champions League, PSG show up 😮‍💨 <a href="https://t.co/yHodxGceVf">pic.twitter.com/yHodxGceVf</a></p>&mdash; 433 (@433) <a href="https://x.com/433/status/2097782687075270750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Slovan refused to hide in a low block, trying to pass their way out and compete with the European champions on their own terms.The problem was that good intentions are not enough when the difference in quality is this enormous.Once PSG shifted through the gears, Slovan were simply overwhelmed. The hosts led 3-0 at half-time, although the score could easily have been twice as big.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">PSG and Barça rejects is a match made in heaven. <a href="https://t.co/TIcvegJM8i">pic.twitter.com/TIcvegJM8i</a></p>&mdash; E (@Ellis_) <a href="https://x.com/Ellis_/status/2097784331095740835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Ousmane Dembele was at the heart of the destruction. With the Ballon d'Or shortlist recently reduced, the reigning winner looked particularly hungry, scoring twice and providing an assist before adding another assist later on. Slovan goalkeeper Dominik Takac was arguably the only reason the damage was not even greater, making several excellent saves and even getting help from the woodwork.PSG eventually turned the game into a demonstration. Dembele scored with a header, while Ferran Torres continued his remarkable start to life in Paris by completing his first Champions League hat-trick. His second goal was particularly memorable, as the World Cup final hero somehow finished it with his shin.##NAJAVA_MECA_9946125##Bradley Barcola's dazzling run set up another moment of quality, before Fabian Ruiz added a sixth in the 88th minute.Slovan did at least earn a reward for their bravery. Suleiman Kamara raced past Milan Skriniar and fired home a consolation goal that showed Toure's team can cause problems against opposition closer to their level.Against PSG, however, the gulf was simply too wide.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEROUND 1TuesdayAEK – LASK 1-0 (1-0)/Marin 21/Club Brugge – Aston Villa 2-3 (1-3)/Vetlesen 19, Tresoldi 61 pen – McGinn 11, Buendia 22, Jackson 43/Porto – Manchester City 0-2 (0-0)/Haaland 47, 90+1/Dortmund – Villarreal 3-2 (0-0)/Veiga 53 og, Guirassy 80, 85 pen – Mourino 66, Guirassy 90+3 og/Lille – Betis 2-3 (2-1)/Ueda 12, Ribeiro 36 – Bartra 33,49, Parrott 53/Real Madrid – Inter 2-1 (2-0)/Mbappe 14, Valverde 23 – Augusto 77/WednesdayBarcelona – Feyenoord 5-1 (2-0)/Raphinha 3, 57, Aeyemi 22, Yamal 77, Jesus 85 – Steijn 82/Stuttgart – Viking 3-1 (3-1)/Demirovic 20, 26, 32 – Tripic 22/Liverpool – Atl.Madrid 2-1 (1-1)/Szoboszlai 40, Mac Allister 50 – Llorente 17/Napoli – Arsenal 0-1 (0-0)/Odegaard 75/PSG – Slovan B. 6-1 (3-0)/Dembele 17, 23, Torres 31, 47, 57, Ruiz 87 – Camara 58/Sporting – Galatasaray 3-1 (1-1)/Catamo 27, Suarez 57(p), Zalazar 63 – Inacio 5(og)/Thursday19.45: (3.15) Fenerbahce (3.45) Roma (2.25)19.45: (1.43) PSV (4.60) Shakhtar (7.25)22.00: (1.10) Bayern (10.0) Bodo (16.0)22.00: (1.95) Como (3.50) RB Leipzig (3.90)22.00: (1.10) Man.Utd. (11.0) Sabah (18.0)22.00: (2.60) Slavia Praha (3.35) Lens (2.70)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-138314-96518" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/138314/season/96518/standings?widgetTitle=UEFA+Champions+League&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1763px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##