Ligue 1: Dembele's Hat-Trick Helps PSG Thrash Brest 5-2

Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain extended their unbeaten run to 14 games with a 5-2 victory over Brest in Ligue 1.

Paris Saint-Germain secured a resounding 5-2 victory over Brest in Ligue 1, with Ousmane Dembele scoring his second hat-trick of the week. This win came a day after PSG discovered they would face Brest in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off.

Dembele, playing in a central role, had two early opportunities to score, but saw one attempt headed away by Abdoulaye Ndiaye and another saved by Marco Bizot. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also squandered a golden chance to score his first PSG goal, missing the target after Fabian Ruiz's square pass.

PSG goal feast in Brest 🔥😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/rgO7eXCLnl

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 1, 2025

Brest threatened PSG's goal, with Ludovic Ajorque's strike from range narrowly missing the post. Bradley Barcola then hit the post for PSG, before Fabian Ruiz's attempt was cleared. Undeterred, PSG continued to work the ball well, eventually breaking through just before the half-hour mark.

Moments after Ndiaye's brilliant tackle denied Dembele, Barcola raced behind Kenny Lala to set up his fellow forward for a simple finish. Gianluigi Donnarumma was then called upon to make two impressive saves, denying Romain Faivre and Lala's dipping shot, to preserve PSG's lead before halftime.

After the restart, Brest equalized through Romain Del Castillo's effortless finish, following Willian Pacho's awkward header from Lala's cross. However, parity was short-lived, as Dembele slid the ball past Bizot to restore PSG's lead and move ahead as Ligue 1's top scorer.

2 hat-tricks in 3 days for Dembélé! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DocVPj7Woi

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 1, 2025

Dembele sealed his hat-trick just six minutes after restoring PSG's lead, applying a clinical first-time finish to Lee Kang-in's incisive pass. This goal seemed to have put the game beyond Brest's reach, but the visitors refused to give up.

Ludovic Ajorque reignited Brest's hopes in the 71st minute, turning away from Willian Pacho and curling his shot out of Gianluigi Donnarumma's reach. This goal set up a tense finale, with Brest pushing hard to level the scores.

Brest came agonizingly close to equalizing, with Mahdi Camara's glancing header narrowly missing the target, and Romain Faivre's shot being palmed away by Donnarumma. However, PSG ultimately sealed the win, thanks to Goncalo Ramos's simple finish after a blistering run forward by Desiré Doue.

PSG's 5-2 victory extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 14 consecutive matches. This result also saw them move 13 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, ahead of Marseille's match against Lyon on Sunday. In contrast, Brest suffered their second consecutive competitive defeat, with Goncalo Ramos rubbing salt in their wounds by tapping in a late goal.