Dembele inspires Paris Saint-Germain to win prior to Liverpool showdown

Paris Saint-Germain's triumphant players rejoiced after claiming victory in the French L1 football match against Toulouse FC at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on April 3, 2026.

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Ousmane Dembele's impressive performance, which included a remarkable opening goal, propelled Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 win over Toulouse, solidifying their position at the top of Ligue 1 ahead of their Champions League quarter-final showdown with Liverpool.

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Last year's Ballon d'Or winner, Dembele, unleashed a powerful strike to give PSG the lead, and he scored again from close range just after the half-hour mark, with Toulouse briefly levelling the score in between due to a goalkeeping error by Matvey Safonov.

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Substitute Goncalo Ramos sealed the win with a late goal, ensuring Luis Enrique's side will remain at the top of the French table, with a four-point advantage over second-placed Lens, who are set to play Lille away on Saturday.

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PSG entered the weekend with a game in hand, and their upcoming match against title rivals Lens has been postponed until May, allowing them extra rest before the Liverpool Champions League tie.

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The reigning European champions will host Liverpool in the first leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday, before travelling to Anfield for the return leg on Tuesday, April 14, in a rematch of last season's last-16 encounter, which PSG won on penalties.

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Retaining the Champions League title is PSG's top priority, but they are on track to claim a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title, and a 12th in the last 14 years, while Toulouse's season will now be defined by their French Cup semi-final tie away to Lens on April 21.

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Luis Enrique rested several players who had recently returned from international duty, including captain Marquinhos and the Portugal trio of Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and Joao Neves, with Brazilian centre-back Lucas Beraldo surprisingly selected in central midfield.

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Dembele, who starred in France's win over Brazil in the United States, started a Ligue 1 game for just the eighth time this season, marking the occasion with a stunning goal that gave PSG the lead midway through the first half.

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Dembele's strike was followed by a Toulouse equaliser, which resulted from a disastrous sequence of play by Safonov, who failed to clear the ball and then failed to hold onto the resulting corner, allowing Danish defender Nicolaisen to head in.

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However, Dembele soon restored PSG's lead with an easy close-range finish on 33 minutes, after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia nodded down a corner, leaving Dembele as PSG's leading scorer this season with 14 goals in all competitions.

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Dembele has now scored 10 goals in Ligue 1, including four against Toulouse, and his goals have been crucial to PSG's success, with the team now focusing on their upcoming Champions League tie.

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The second half of the match was largely uneventful until Ramos scored his team's third goal in injury time with a low shot from outside the area, taking his total to 12 goals in all competitions for the season, despite starting only 12 times.