Ousmane Dembele and a ‘PlayStation goal’ that shocked football

It was the disbelief worn on the face of Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer that perhaps summed up the moment best.

The Turkey international had been made to look a fool and, lying in his own net, there was only bewilderment at what Ousmane Dembele had just done to him and his team at the Parc des Princes.

“A PlayStation goal,” Luis Enrique, head coach of Paris Saint Germain. said in his press conference afterwards. “When you press all the buttons at once, that’s what happens.”

Dembele’s second goal in a 3-0 victory over Lille on Friday night was a moment of impudent brilliance which, even for the man who won last year’s Ballon d’Or, was special. From collecting the ball to scoring, it was 3.2 seconds of distilled audacity. “Only a player with Ousmane’s quality can do that,” said Enrique.

And how. In an injury-hit season for the Champions League holders, Dembele gave a delicious reminder of how he came to be regarded as one of football’s greatest talents last season.

The Athletic breaks down just how the PSG and France forward did it, if only for Ozer’s sake.

It all begins with the mucky stuff. Lille’s attempts to play out from deep are thwarted by the strength of Nuno Mendes in a central area…

… with the defender quickly spreading the play to Desire Doue on the right.

At this point, it feels like there is not much to fret about for Lille, who seem reasonably well set with four players behind the ball. But a first-time pass into the feet of Dembele soon has Lille scrambling to cover.

“I wanted to shoot first time,” Dembele told PSG TV after the game. “I miscontrolled it a little.”

The emphasis ought to be placed on ‘little’, given that the ball never leaves his feet on the edge of the Lille penalty area but it is from that point that Dembele begins to lead his opponents on a merry dance.

Central defenders Nathan Ngoy and Aissa Mandi converge, with the latter going to ground, presumably in an effort to block a possible Dembele shot.

It is enough for Dembele to check back in search of further space, taking a series of quick touches inside the box.

His problem, though, is that more defenders have arrived on the scene. Four, in fact, all within two yards of Dembele. Three of them are blocking his path, denying a clear sight of goal.

Dembele might be inside the box but was determined to think outside of it. The “miscontrol” he mentioned had inadvertently drawn Ozer from his goal and given Dembele an opportunity most would not have spotted. “I saw that the goalkeeper had come forward a bit, so I tried a lob,” he said.

It demands precision in a fleeting moment that has seen those three defenders drop off and the left-foot chip is clipped over Ozer from 14 yards out.

Lille’s goalkeeper, who has done little wrong having retreated back to the edge of his six-yard box, sticks out a flailing left hand but can prevent neither the ball sailing over him nor a humbling experience.

The seconds that followed underlined that it was no ordinary goal. While Ozer was struggling to haul himself back to his feet, Vitinha, the PSG midfielder, appeared to mouth “Wow!” when drawing Dembele in for an embrace during the celebrations.

Doue and Bradley Barcola, the attacking youngsters following in Dembele’s footsteps, were equally appreciative.

That made it 2-0, with PSG eventually adding a third through Barcola in stoppage time. It was enough to take PSG back to the summit of Ligue 1 ahead of Lens, who play Auxerre today.

The night, though, will be remembered only for Dembele and that chip.

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