LAST UPDATE | 8 Mar 2025

OUSMANE DEMBELE SCORED twice as Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool by winning 4-1 away to Rennes in Ligue 1 with a much-changed team on Saturday.

Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos had PSG 2-0 up in Brittany before Lilian Brassier pulled one back for Rennes, but Dembele netted twice in stoppage time to seal the victory for the visitors.

The result allowed the Ligue 1 leaders to maintain their unbeaten record in domestic competition this season.

The Parisians are now a huge 16 points clear at the top before closest challengers Marseille play at home to Lens later.

Luis Enrique’s side were ultimately comfortable winners despite the coach making eight changes to his starting line-up in between the two legs of the Liverpool tie, with the return at Anfield coming up on Tuesday.

“We are in perfect condition to go and take on Liverpool. We have nothing to lose and we will give everything to try to qualify (for the quarter-finals),” said Luis Enrique.

“It was difficult but we put in a serious performance and it gives us lots of hope before going to Liverpool,” the Spaniard added of his team’s display.

Barcelona‘s La Liga match against Osasuna was postponed on Saturday after one of the club’s first-team doctors died.

“Barcelona is sorry to announce the sad news of the death of the first team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia, this afternoon,” said the club in a statement.

“For this reason, the match between Barcelona and Osasuna has been postponed until a later date.

“The board of directors and all the staff at Barcelona wish to convey our most sincere condolences to his family and friends, we are with them at this difficult time.”

Fans had begun entering the Olympic stadium for the league leaders’ clash against Osasuna, before it was called off around 20 minutes before the expected kick off at 8pm.

“Osasuna wishes to convey its deepest condolences to the family of doctor Carles Minarro Garcia and would like to send a big hug at this difficult time to all the staff of Barcelona, as well as their fans. May he rest in peace,” said Osasuna on social media platform X.

Inter Milan extended their lead at the top of Serie A after a laborious 3-2 victory over bottom side Monza on Saturday.

The reigning Italian champions pulled four points clear of second-placed Napoli who host Fiorentina on Sunday.

Big favourites against a team that have only picked up 14 points this campaign, the hosts conceded two goals in the first half.

Although Marko Arnautovic reduced the deficit just before the break and Inter then monopolised play, it was not until the 64th minute that Hakan Calhanoglu equalised.

Argentine captain Lautaro Martinez proved decisive in the 77th minute to serve up his team’s victory with a header slightly deflected into goal by Monza’s Greek defender Giorgos Kyriakopoulos

Even if they suffered the Nerazzurri piled the pressure on Napoli, who have conceded four draws and one defeat in the last five matches before hosting seventh-placed Fiorentina.

“In Serie A, all matches are complicated, we had 30 or 31 shots on goal, our victory was deserved. My players kept their calm and remained lucid,” said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.

City rivals AC Milan experienced a match with an almost similar scenario away at lowly Lecce.

Christian Pulisic scored twice to avoid the humiliation of a fourth straight Serie A defeat with a come-from-behind 3-2 win.

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Earlier, a 10-man Bayern Munich went unpunished for a shock 3-2 home defeat to Bochum after title chasers Bayer Leverkusen were beaten 2-0 by Werder Bremen.

Despite the loss, just Bayern’s second of the season, the Bavarians still hold an eight-point lead over defending champions Leverkusen with nine games to play.

Leverkusen’s woes were deepened with an injury to star midfielder Florian Wirtz, who limped off after a rough challenge having played just 14 second-half minutes.

With an eye on Tuesday’s return leg in the Champions League last 16 against Leverkusen, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany named a heavily changed XI, including leaving striker Harry Kane on the bench.

Bayern midfielder Raphael Guerreiro’s 14th minute goal, when the Portuguese hammered a loose ball into the net, had Bayern on track before Serge Gnabry missed a 21st-minute penalty.

With Kane, who has converted his past 30 penalties in-a-row, sitting on the bench, Gnabry stepped up but hit the ball against the post.

Guerreiro however scored again with a rare header on the 28-minute mark, just three minutes before Bochum’s Jakov Medic pulled one back with an unstoppable rocket.

Bochum were given hope when Bayern’s Joao Palhinha saw red for sinking his studs into Giorgos Masouras’s ankle just before half-time.

Ibrahima Sissoko headed Bochum level six minutes into the second half and Matus Bero put the underdogs in front 71 minutes in, going the length of the field to knock in a Philipp Hofmann pass.

Bochum’s surprise victory, their first win in Munich since 1991, took them three points clear of the automatic relegation placings.

Leverkusen were down after just seven minutes when Romano Schmid tapped in from close range.

With Leverkusen failing to click, coach Xabi Alonso brought Wirtz from the bench at halftime, but the Germany midfielder was brutally fouled eight minutes afterwards and limped from the field.

Any injury to Wirtz, the club’s talisman and best player this season, would be a serious blow to Alonso’s side, particularly ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League match against Bayern, who hold a 3-0 lead from the first leg.

Borussia Dortmund’s slim chances of reaching the top four took a hit with a 1-0 home loss to Augsburg, with Jeffery Gouweleeuw’s first-half header the only goal in the game.

Dortmund were toothless in attack and offered little against an in-form Augsburg, who have conceded just three goals in the league in 2025 — the best mark in Europe.

Dortmund, last season’s Champions League finalists, sit 10th in the league, seven points off the top four.

– © AFP 2025