PSG Worried about Dembele's Condition after Injury in Victory over Monaco

JAKARTA - A disappointing season for Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele continues. He was forced out due to a seemingly serious injury in the first half of the first leg of the Champions League playoff against AS Monaco on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, early morning WIB.

Desire Doue came on to replace Dembele, scoring twice and setting up another as PSG secured a 3-2 victory ahead of next week's return leg in Paris.

Dembele is doubtful for the Parc des Princes after suffering a foot problem and was withdrawn in the 26th minute at Stade Louis II.

The Ballon d'Or winner has been hit by injuries this season. Moments before leaving, television footage showed him rubbing the back of his left calf twice and then pulling his socks down.

Manager Luis Enrique said from the start there was no risk at all with Dembele starting, the top scorer for PSG last season with 35 goals.

"We know the condition of each player. There is no risk, he trains normally. We have to see if there is an injury."

"He was hit in the first 15 minutes, then he couldn't run," said Luis Enrique.

Dembele was injured early in the season while playing for the French national team and then came off in the first half in a similar situation against Bayern Munich in November 2025. He also struggled with injuries at his old club, Barcelona.

Meanwhile, PSG fell behind 0-2 when Dembele came off, but rallied and equalised to 2-2 in the first half, before a winning goal in the second half.

Doue then scored the opening goal in the 29th minute. He covered his ears with his hands while celebrating the goal, as if to say that he was ignoring the recent criticism of his performance.

"The coach makes his choices. It's always a collective effort, whether we win or lose. The most important thing is to win in a game like this," Doue said.

As is known, before the match, Luis Enrique criticized some of his star players after they were knocked out of the first place in Ligue 1 following the defeat against Rennes at the weekend.

Doue then was involved in the 2-2 equalizer just before the first half ended when his shot was saved by goalkeeper Philipp Kohn. The ball immediately fell to Achraf Hakimi inside the penalty box and he beat Kohn with a low shot to the left corner.

Doue scored his second goal that night in the 67th minute when he received a pass from Warren Zaire-Emery on the edge of the penalty area and directed a low shot into the right corner.

Before the goals were scored, PSG actually had a golden opportunity to narrow the 0-2 deficit. Unfortunately, Kohn made a good save to stop Vitinha's penalty in the 22nd minute.

The match was also marked by a red card received by AS Monaco midfielder Aleksandr Golovin for a reckless foul on Vitinha early in the second half.