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Friday, December 05, 2025 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Tag Results for "Paris Saint-Germain" (5 articles)

Gulf Times
Region

PSG’s al-Khelaifi named best president of the year at 2025 Golden Boy Awards

Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser al-Khelaifi has been named Best President of the Year at the 2025 Golden Boy Awards held in Italy on Tuesday. The awards saw PSG’s Désiré Doué win the 2025 Golden Boy Award after an outstanding season.The annual awards, organised by Italian newspaper Tuttosport since 2003, recognise excellence across European football and are voted for by a panel of 50 sports journalists from across the continent.PSG’s achievements during the 2024/25 season were a major factor in the recognition. Under al-Khelaïfi’s leadership, the club completed a quadruple that included the Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, Trophée des Champions and their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy.Doué, the 20-year-old forward, scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists in 61 appearances, including two goals in PSG’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan.The club’s sporting advisor, Luis Campos, was also named Best Executive for his role in shaping PSG’s football strategy and building a balanced and competitive squad.

Bayer Leverkusen's forward Ernest Poku celebrates scoring the opening goal during against Freiburg in Leverkusen Sunday. AFP
Sport

Leverkusen bounce back from PSG drubbing against Freiburg

Bayer Leverkusen found some solace at home Sunday after a Champions League humbling by Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga.Dismantled 7-2 by the European champions at the same venue five days ago, Leverkusen got back to winning ways thanks to strikes by Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba either side of the break.The victory took the 2023-24 double winners to fourth spot in the table, two points clear of Stuttgart, who host lowly Mainz in Sunday's final match.Leverkusen midfielder Jonas Hofmann told DAZN his side "shook off the 7-2 defeat" to PSG with Sunday's victory.Leverkusen have now won four in a row in the Bundesliga as part of a seven-match domestic unbeaten run.Coach Kasper Hjulmand, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag two games into the league season, is yet to taste defeat in the Bundesliga.The loss was Freiburg's first in the league since August.These two sides played out a 2-2 draw in May but only three players who started for Leverkusen on Sunday were at the club last season.After 22 minutes, Spain midfielder Aleix Garcia played a clever one-two with Poku, who hit a low shot into the bottom right corner to give the hosts the lead.It was the eighth time in eight league games this season Leverkusen have scored first.The hosts doubled up seven minutes into the second half when Tapsoba muscled through the Freiburg defence to head in an Alejandro Grimaldo cross.With 15 minutes remaining, Freiburg were reduced to 10 men when Philipp Lienhart picked up a second yellow."I feel everything was decided even before the red card. It feels good," Hofmann added of Leverkusen's performance.

 Olympique de Marseille's Nayef Aguerd celebrates scoring their first goal. REUTERS
Sport

Marseille inflict first defeat of season on PSG in Ligue 1

An early goal by defender Nayef Aguerd gave Marseille a 1-0 win over reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain Monday, a rare success against their great rivals in a game delayed by 24 hours by storms in southern France.Moroccan defender Aguerd, signed just before the recent transfer deadline from West Ham United, scored his second goal in as many Ligue 1 appearances for his new club with five minutes gone at the Velodrome. PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier came for a deflected Mason Greenwood cross but got nothing on the ball, allowing Aguerd to head into the unguarded net and score the only goal of the game.The fixture, the biggest in French football, was scheduled to go ahead on Sunday but was called off because local authorities feared forecast heavy rainfall would be a significant risk for both players and spectators. With little space in a packed calendar and both clubs involved in the Champions League, the match was put back just a day.That proved awkward for PSG as it meant a clash with the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in Paris, at which a host of their squad were nominated for the men's player of the year prize. Among them was Ousmane Dembele, the top scorer for the Champions League winners last season who was able to attend the ceremony having been ruled out of the Marseille clash due to injury.PSG coach Luis Enrique could have done with Dembele in the game, as well as his fellow injury absentees Desire Doue and Joao Neves. Achraf Hakimi was pushed forward from his usual right-back position to the wing, but it was still a strong Paris team. Nevertheless, Marseille held onto the lead following the early goal to claim a first home league victory against PSG since November 2011.Aguerd's goal was the first time they had even found the net at home to PSG in Ligue 1 since 2017. Amine Gouiri hit the bar soon after as Marseille sought to add to their advantage. The home side also had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half, before goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli made a couple of key saves to deny the visitors after the break.Marseille saw the game out, although not before fiery coach Roberto De Zerbi was shown a late red card on the touchline. It is a first loss of the season for PSG, who had won their first four matches in Ligue 1. They fall off the top of the table, behind Monaco on goals scored.Both teams have 12 points, as do Lyon and Strasbourg who complete the top four. Marseille are up to sixth, three points adrift of the leading quartet.

Paris St Germain (PSG) president Nasser al-Khelaifi makes a speech after winning the 2025 Ballon d'Or Men's Club of the Year award.
Sport

PSG star Dembele wins men's Ballon d'Or

France forward Ousmane Dembele on Monday won the men's Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual prize in football, rewarding his starring role in the Paris Saint-Germain side that lifted the Champions League trophy last season.Dembele, 28, pipped Barcelona and Spain teenage sensation Lamine Yamal to the prize at a ceremony in Paris and succeeds Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the trophy in 2024. The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona winger, who was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, scored 35 goals in all competitions as PSG won a French league and cup double as well as the Champions League for the first time in their history."I really don't have the words. It was an incredible season with PSG," said an emotional Dembele, who said his club coach Luis Enrique had been "like a father". "It is an individual trophy but it was really the collective that won it," added Dembele, who was one of nine members of the triumphant PSG team from last season nominated for the prize. "The Ballon d'Or has not really been an objective for me in my career but I worked hard for the team to win the Champions League."The 18-year-old Yamal, who was a teammate of Dembele's at Barcelona when he first broke through in 2023, earlier won the Kopa Trophy for the best player aged under 21 - the second year running he has taken that award.Luis Enrique and Sarina Wiegman landed the top coaching accolades following their sensational seasons in charge of Paris St-Germain and England’s Lionesses. Enrique achieved the remarkable Treble with a European club for the second time in his career, previously doing so with Barcelona in the 2014-15 season. He joins Pep Guardiola, who has also done this twice. And Wiegman became the first manager in either the men's or women's game to lead a team to five consecutive major international tournament finals: two with Netherlands, three with England.Enrique said in a statement: "Thank you to my family, thank you to PSG. I also want to thank two special people: Nasser Al-Khelaifi (PSG chairman) and Luís Campos (PSG sporting director). We have a special relationship. A message to my players who are there: it’s nice to win individual awards but I think the most important thing is the recognition of the fans."Spain's Bonmati wins Women's Ballon d'OrBarcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati won the Women's Ballon d'Or, the third consecutive year she has taken the prize. Bonmati edged out Mariona Caldentey, her teammate in the Spain side beaten on penalties by England in the Women's Euro 2025 final in July.The 27-year-old midfielder also lost the Women's Champions League final with her club last season, at the hands of Caldentey's Arsenal. Bonmati was named player of the tournament at the Euros, despite not starting either of Spain's first two matches as she recovered from a bout of viral meningitis.Alessia Russo, one of the nominees from the triumphant England European Championship team, came in third place. The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in both men's and women's football, and Bonmati's run of three in a row follows back-to-back victories for her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas. Norway's Ada Hegerberg and USA star Megan Rapinoe are the only other players to have won the Women's Ballon d'Or since it was introduced in 2018.

Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Ligue 1 match against Lens at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris Sunday. AFP
Sport

PSG maintain perfect start, Ethan Mbappe strikes late for Lille

A Bradley Barcola brace earned Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win over Lens in Ligue 1 on Sunday, while Kylian Mbappe’s brother Ethan scored deep into second-half added time to give Lille a last-gasp victory.The result sent PSG back to the top of the table as the reigning champions secured their fourth win from four outings this term.However, the match threw up some injury headaches for coach Luis Enrique ahead of the start of PSG’s Champions League defence next week, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lee Kang-in and Lucas Beraldo all limping off.Barcola sent PSG ahead on the quarter-hour with an elegant curling finish from 20 yards.New PSG signing Illya Zabarnyi came close to turning into his own net on 27 minutes following a rare Lens foray forward.But things did then go wrong for the dominant hosts as star winger Kvaratskhelia was forced off two minutes later with a calf issue, casting a doubt over his presence on Wednesday as PSG open their Champions League title defence against Atalanta.Barcola doubled PSG’s lead six minutes after half-time when he drove in from the left before arrowing a right-footed finish from distance past the dive of goalkeeper Robin Risser.But PSG’s injury woes accumulated in the second period when first midfielder Lee, then defender Beraldo had to be replaced.Earlier in Lille, 18-year-old Ethan Mbappe volleyed home eight minutes into injury time to give Lille a 2-1 home win over Toulouse despite the hosts being a goal down as the clock ticked past 90. A penalty at the very start of injury time converted by Nabil Bentaleb had brought the hosts level before Mbappe lashed home a late winner.Both goals came courtesy of late substitutes introduced by coach Bruno Genesio, after Toulouse were reduced to 10 men on 80 minutes.Following his departure from PSG in the wake of his elder brother Kylian’s acrimonious free transfer to Real Madrid, Mbappe joined Lille in July last year.The midfielder’s first strike for the 2020/21 Ligue 1 winners came on his 11th league appearance as he ghosted in at the far post to thrash Osame Sahraoui’s stood-up cross past the helpless visiting goalkeeper.“Last year was a bit of a difficult year for me, with a lot of injuries,” said Mbappe. “Coming back with a goal, honestly, there’s no better way to start a new season.”Frank Magri opened the scoring for Toulouse early in the second period before Lille’s late show.The last-gasp win provisionally took Lille to the top of the Ligue 1 table, on 10 points, before PSG won to knock them down to second. Lyon, the only other club to boast a 100 percent record in Ligue 1 this season, could take top spot with a victory in the weekend’s final match away to Rennes.Elsewhere, Liam Rosenior’s youthful Strasbourg side grabbed a 1-0 win at home to Le Havre thanks to Joaquin Panichelli’s 92nd-minute spot-kick. Paris FC claimed their second win of the campaign, holding out 2-1 at last-placed Brest, while Metz drew 1-1 with Angers.