3 key takeaways following PSG's dominant win over Leverkusen

PSG delivered another impressive performance on the European stage as they thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 at the BayArena in their third League Phase game of the campaign. This game saw 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé make his return to competition after his lenghty injury. The Frenchman scored shortly after his entrance with Bradley Barcola delivering an unselfish assist in the process.

Additionally, Illia Zabarnyi had a very poor performance in this game despite the win as he was sent off inside 37 minutes after giving away two penalties in quick succession.

3 Key takeaways from PSG's dominant win against Leverkusen

1. Dembélé and Doué are back on track

Désiré Doué made his return to competition after his muscular injury over the weekend against Strasbourg as PSG snatched a late draw. While his performance left fans and observers with mixed feelings as he delivered an assist and won a penalty, he also gave away a goal to the opponents. However, he was simply amazing against Leverkusen scoring a brace after 45 minutes as he seemed perfectly fit and ready to perform to the level demonstrated last season. Though, he was taken off at halftime due to his side being down to 10 men following Zabarnyi's red card.

Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembélé also made his return from injury, coming on at 63 minutes in a game largely dominated by his team. Shortly after his entrance, he added his name to the scoresheet thanks to an unselfish assist from Barcola who squared him the ball in front of goal. Throughout his time on the pitch, he delivered a convincing performance and seemed ready to perform at the highest level

2. Illia Zabarnyi's worrying performance

Since joining the club from Bournemouth this summer, Illia Zabarnyi had been very reliable for PSG when he was given the chance to perform. With Marquinhos out and injured for a few weeks, his role in the squad expanded and he showed promises as he could potentially become a starter for Luis Enrique.

However, his performance against Bayer Leverkusen was extremely worrying. The Ukraine international gave away two very avoidable penalties in quick succession, resulting in his sending off as it could have cost the game to his team. Fortunately, Willian Pacho put in an amazing performance and scored the opener.

3. European dominance

After three Champions League games in this title defence campaign, Luis Enrique and his side managed to remain unbeaten and even secured three victories including a convincing win against Barcelona despite an injury-plagued squad. In those three games, the European Champions showcased how dominant they could be, which proved that they are a clear favourite and could win the Champions League back-to-back with this squad.