Paris Saint-Germain seem to have become so accustomed to winning the French league that they have started treating it as a kind of extended warm-up for the Champions League. When Manchester City are on the other side, the Parisians can dance their way around the Etihad, score four goals and demonstrate the kind of dominance worthy of back-to-back European champions. But when it comes to the domestic league, suddenly there is complacency, mistakes, missed penalties and matches in which they find themselves with their backs against the wall. That was precisely the scenario in Strasbourg, where the champions looked set for another defeat until the 77th minute, before turning a 0–1 deficit into a 3–1 victory in the space of around 15 minutes.And this is nothing new in Paris. For much of last season, Paris Saint-Germain looked like a team in no particular hurry to reach the top of the table. Points were carelessly dropped, Lens held on to first place for a long time, and their rivals began to believe that the moment had finally arrived for a change at the top of French football. However, when the final ten rounds came around, the Parisians simply stepped up a gear and showed that the gap between them and the rest of the league was far greater than the table had suggested for much of the season. The same story seems to be unfolding again this season. Draws against Rennes and Lille, a defeat to Monaco, and now another narrow escape in Strasbourg. In the 15th minute, Strasbourg's players won the ball high up the pitch with an aggressive press. Yassine found Giovanni Reyna, and the American shifted the ball onto his left foot before finding the near corner to make it 1–0. The Meinau erupted, and the Parisians were once again forced to chase the game in a match in which they had been expected to dictate the tempo.4 – Les penalties du Paris Saint-Germain toutes compétitions confondues cette saison : Beraldo contre Le Mans ✅ Désiré Doué contre Le Mans ❌ Ferran Torres contre Manchester City ❌ Ousmane Dembélé contre Strasbourg ❌ 🥇Plus haut total de joueurs différents à tirer un penalty cette saison dans le Top 5 européen tcc 🫣Plus haut total de penalties manqués parmi ces équipes en 2026/27 Maladresse.— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 17, 2026 The Parisians had plenty of reasons to be frustrated, and as time went on, it increasingly looked like another league fixture in which they would pay the price for their own casual approach. Then, in the 69th minute, they were handed the perfect opportunity to get back into the game. Desire Doue's shot struck Demba's arm inside the penalty area. The contact was impossible to spot at full speed, but the slow-motion replay removed any doubt: a penalty for Paris Saint-Germain.#DEMBELE GOAL FOR #psg https://t.co/vhodsPekiQ— CRYPTO BIOCHEMIST🧬 (@victorwebthree) October 17, 2026 Ousmane Dembele, one of the European champions' biggest weapons, placed the ball on the spot. And missed the entire goal! The Frenchman tried to find the corner with a powerful strike, but the ball went wide of the post, sending the stands at the Stade de la Meinau into raptures. It was already the third consecutive match in all competitions in which Paris Saint-Germain had failed to convert a penalty. The previous weekend, Desire Doue had missed against Le Mans; three days ago, it was Ferran Torres against Manchester City; and now Dembele had joined the unwanted sequence. Three different penalty takers, three misses, all for a team boasting one of the most expensive and talented attacking lines in the world. However, just a few minutes later, Dembele himself showed why he is one of the leading figures in this team.Dembele laughs off the criticism: "I might ask for more holidays"In the 77th minute, Vitinha played the ball to the French forward following a corner, and he found space to deliver a cross from the right. Illia Zabarnyi was completely unmarked at the far post, and the Ukrainian centre-back threw himself at the ball and fired home a superb volley to make it 1–1. It was the moment the entire match was turned on its head. Strasbourg, who had victory in their grasp just a few minutes earlier, suddenly began to fear for even a single point. And with good reason. In the 84th minute, Dembele completely erased the memory of his missed penalty. The home defence failed to clear the danger, and the ball fell to the Ballon d'Or winner, who first used a shooting feint to wrong-foot his opponent, then shifted the ball onto his left foot and found the net. The home goalkeeper barely had time to react, and Paris Saint-Germain had gone from despair to taking the lead in just seven minutes. To ensure there was no doubt about the winner, Desire Doue made it 3–1 in the fourth minute of stoppage time. After a long clearance, Dembele produced a superb first touch inside the penalty area, waited for the right moment and played the ball to Torres. The Spaniard looked up and picked out Doue, who had the simple task of scoring from close range to seal the final 3–1 scoreline.LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 7FridayLe Mans – Toulouse 0-3 (0-0)/Rowe 46, Donnum 59, Tengstedt 87/SaturdayStrasbourg – PSG 1-3 (1-0)/Reyna 17 – Zabarnyi 77, Dembele 85, Doue 90+3/21.45: (1.88) Lille (3.50) Brest (4.20) 21.45: (4.00) Troyes (3.60) Lens (1.90)Sunday16.00: (3.30) Angers (3.50) Olympique Marseille (2.15) 18.15: (2.30) Le Havre (3.40) Auxerre (3.10)18.15: (3.50) Lorient (3.45) Monaco (2.10) 18.15: (2.35) Paris (3.50) Rennes (2.95) 21.45: (1.68) Olympique Lyon (3.80) Nice (5.20) ***odds are subject to change***
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