PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain head into the Champions League knockout phase in rude health, with their crushing domination against domestic opposition making a Ligue 1 and French Cup double look highly likely and leaving them in a strong position to keep advancing in Europe.
Luis Enrique’s team head into Friday’s home clash with Monaco with a 10-point lead over Marseille at the top of Ligue 1, with the principality side a further three points behind in third.
Even a slip-up in that game against another of France’s Champions League representatives is unlikely to stop them in their procession toward a fourth straight league title, and their 11th in 13 seasons.
In midweek they eased to an uneventful 2-0 win away to third-tier Le Mans to secure a place in the French Cup quarter-finals.
The fact that almost all of their most serious rivals domestically have already been eliminated from that competition means it would be an enormous surprise if the Parisians did not now claim a record-extending 16th French Cup triumph.
PSG have not lost to French opponents in 27 games stretching back to last May, when they were beaten 3-1 at home by Toulouse having already secured the Ligue 1 title.
That is their only loss in their last 60 meetings with domestic opponents since September 2023, a record which speaks volumes for their absolutely enormous financial advantage over the rest of French football.
The Qatar-owned club’s revenue for 2024 of almost 806 million euros ($837m) put them third in the world, behind only Real Madrid and Manchester City, in analysts Deloitte’s recently published Football Money League.
The only other French clubs in the top 30 were Marseille and Lyon, whose combined revenue totalled 551 million euros.
Put simply, no wonder PSG’s French rivals cannot compete, and it does not augur well for Brest, who must now face Luis Enrique’s team in the knockout phase play-offs of the Champions League.
The first leg takes place in Brittany next Tuesday, with the return in Paris on Feb. 19.
Brest’s entire budget for this season is reported to be just under 50 million euros.
All of which means PSG should make it through to the last 16 in Europe, where either Liverpool or Barcelona await.
Meanwhile in Paris the possibility is already being raised of PSG going through the entire season without losing a game domestically.
“Records are not an objective for us,” said Luis Enrique on Friday when asked about the possibility of establishing that new record.
“What is important is to win titles. If those come with records, that is marvellous, but that is not the aim.”
The 27-year-old’s transformation from a devilish dribbler on the wing to lethal central striker has been remarkable.
The France international has scored 14 goals in his last nine appearances for PSG, going back to mid-December. Prior to that he had scored 11 times in 59 games for the capital club since arriving from Barcelona in 2023.
Dembele scored back-to-back hat-tricks against VfB Stuttgart, in the Champions League, and Brest before being rested for the win at Le Mans in midweek to keep him fresh for the coming games.
He became the first player in PSG history to score hat-tricks in successive matches — something the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Lionel Messi were all unable to achieve.
PSG’s crushing domination leaves no hope for domestic rivals
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PSG’s crushing domination leaves no hope for domestic rivals
- PSG have not lost to French opponents in 27 games stretching back to last May
- The first leg takes place in Brittany next Tuesday, with the return in Paris on Feb. 19
Jon Rahm putts his way to 2nd round lead at LIV Adelaide
- A two-time LIV individual season champ, Rahm is looking for his first tournament win since 2024
ADELAIDE: Jon Rahm fired a 63 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead into the third round of LIV Golf Adelaide in Australia.
Rahm posted a bogey-free round at Grange Golf Club that included seven birdies — five of them on the back nine — and an eagle on the 561-yard par-5 No. 7 hole to move to 13-under for
the tournament.
The Spaniard stands one shot ahead of Ben Campbell, who also recorded seven birdies and an eagle for his 9-under round of 63.
Bryson DeChambeau is in third place at 11-under after
shooting a 67.
Rahm can credit his success on Friday to his putting. His eagle on No. 7 was courtesy of a 47-foot putt, and he also holed five more putts of between 10 and 25 feet. He made about 150 feet
of putts. A two-time LIV individual season champ, Rahm is looking for his first tournament win
since 2024.
“I can’t remember the last time I made this many, but it was a lot — and the ones that didn’t go in looked like they were going to go in,” Rahm said. “It was a fantastic day on the greens.”
Campbell, of New Zealand, is seeking his first win in Australia as a pro. He had a contingent of family and friends
following him.
“It’s great,” Campbell said of his support system. “It’s as close to I get playing at home. Everyone has been amazing.”
Without the windy conditions of Thursday, the course played easier on Friday. The stroke average of 69.035 bested the opening round by more than
two strokes.
Thirteen different players recorded eagles or better on Friday. David Puig of Spain made the third albatross in league history with his 2 on the par-5 10th hole.
One of those eagles belonged to DeChambeau, who had an up-and-down round that also included five birdies and
two bogeys.
“I was scrambling all day, and that’s something you just can’t do if you’re trying to win a golf tournament,” DeChambeau said.
In fourth place is Anthony Kim (67 on Friday) at 10-under with Talor Gooch (63) and Branden Grace of South Africa (64) in fifth place at 9-under.
On the team front, Campbell’s round helped to propel the RangeGoats into a tie for first at 23-under with Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces, aided by Kim’s performance.
Those teams are one shot ahead of Rahm’s Legion XIII as well as Ripper GC and
Torque GC.
