Champions League: Dembélé scores twice, while Torres nets a hat-trick for a perfect night for PSG.

Published on: 09/09/2026 - 22:53Updated on: 09/09/2026 - 23:03

3 min Reading time

It is unclear what impact the announcement of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or had on him this Tuesday, unless it was enough for him to hear the intoxicating Champions League anthem to regain his sensations and form. In any case, Ousmane Dembélé was simply irresistible and unyielding against Slovan Bratislava in this first group stage match of the Champions League.

In his Parisian home, the forward, rested by his coach after the first day of Ligue 1, was a scorer, provider, and catalyst for a rejuvenated PSG, which had been seeking a victory for four matches. An eternity for the Parisian club, two-time reigning Champions League champion and crowned for the fifth consecutive time as French champion.

True, on the other side, it was "only" Slovan Bratislava, who had to fight through three qualifying rounds and six matches to reach the elite. But it was evident that the challenge would be daunting for the Slovak club against the Parisian giant.

Doué and Kvaratskhelia left on the bench…

The resistance lasted only the first quarter of an hour before Dembélé broke the deadlock by capitalizing on a rebound off the post from Nuno Mendes (17th minute). Six minutes later, the Parisian Ballon d'Or turned into a poacher once again and doubled the lead (23rd minute). Playful, the Parisian even set up Ferran Torres for the third goal with a splendid pass (31st minute).

Three goals in thirty minutes: the scoreline is harsh for Slovan Bratislava and their coach Yaya Touré, the first African coach to lead a team in the Champions League. The Slovaks sensed that the evening would be very difficult, especially as Ferran Torres netted a brace just after the break with a service from Maghnes Akliouche (47th minute). All this while Doué and Kvaratskhelia remained on the bench…

Arsenal on the agenda

The Parisian coach did not need to call on them, as his duo Dembélé–Torres took care of everything. The former provided another assist for the fifth goal from a corner (57th minute).

Slovan Bratislava, who hardly ever refused to play, managed to salvage some pride thanks to Gambian Suleiman Camara, who scored a goal he created himself, leaving Zabayani behind before firing past Safonov (59th minute).

But until the end, Paris maintained their grip and sealed the deal with a goal from Fabian Ruiz three minutes before the final whistle (87th minute).

In other matches of the evening, Arsenal, the defending champions, avoided a trap on the pitch of Napoli, securing three points thanks to Odegaard (1-0).

Meanwhile, Liverpool overturned Atlético Madrid (2-1) with goals from Szoboszlai (40th minute) and Mac Allister (50th minute), after conceding the opening goal from Llorente (17th minute). Barcelona, for their part, dominated Feyenoord Rotterdam earlier (5-1).

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Fixtures and results from the first matchday

Tuesday, September 8

AEK Athens-Linz ASK 1-0

Club Brugge-Aston Villa 2-3

Lille-Real Betis 2-3

Real Madrid-Inter Milan 2-1

Porto-Manchester City 0-2

Borussia Dortmund-Villarreal 3-2

Wednesday, September 9

Barcelona-Feyenoord Rotterdam 5-1

Stuttgart-Viking Stavanger 3-1

PSG-Slovan Bratislava 6-1

Liverpool-Atlético Madrid 2-1

Napoli-Arsenal 0-1

Sporting Portugal-Galatasaray 3-1

Thursday, September 10

16:45: Fenerbahçe-AS Roma

16:45: PSV Eindhoven-Shakhtar Donetsk

19:00: Slavia Prague-Lens

19:00: Bayern Munich-Bodo/Glimt

19:00: Manchester United-Sabah

19:00: Como-RB Leipzig