Why was Ousmane Dembélé substituted early in PSG’s Champions League seminal against Bayern Munich?

Ousmane Dembélé made a decisive impact in the second leg of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich, scoring in just the third minute to put Luis Enrique’s team 6-4 ahead on aggregate. However, the reigning Ballon d’Or holder was substituted with 25 minutes left to play.

Did Dembélé suffer an injury against Bayern?

Dembélé was replaced by Bradley Barcola in the 65th minute, a somewhat surprising call given he did not appear to be carrying an injury.

If that was the case, it will undoubtedly be clarified after the game, although Dembélé certainly appeared to trot off the field without any obvious physical issues.

Dembélé substitution raises eyebrows

Was it fatigue? A subtle tactical change? A desire to freshen up the PSG attack? The move certainly raised eyebrows, although we should probably know by now that Luis Enrique knows best.

PSG star quiet after early breakthrough

Dembélé netted his seventh Champions League goal of the season at the end of a blistering counterattack led by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Other than that, though, it was not one of the Frenchman’s more influential games, which may well have been the reason for his substitution.

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