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PSG IBRAHIM MBAYE'S BRILLIANCE AGAINST KENYA EARNS SENEGAL COACH'S PRAISE

PSG wonderkid Ibrahim Mbaye starred on his first Senegal start, scoring and assisting in an 8-0 rout of Kenya. The 17-year-old broke national team records, boosting his 2025 AFCON squad chances.

PSG  Ibrahim Mbaye's Brilliance Against Kenya Earns Senegal Coach's Praise
Ibrahim Mbaye made his first-ever start for Senegal

Senegal's 8-0 Thumping of Kenya featured four goals from the PSG wonderkid Ibrahim Mbaye, who has made 14 appearances for the current UEFA Champions League winners.

Ibrahim Mbaye made a brilliant effort in the Lions of Teranga's convincing 8-0 victory over Kenya, making his first-ever start for Senegal in just his second appearance.

By becoming the youngest goal scorer and assister in the history of the national team, the Paris Saint-Germain striker made a compelling case for a position in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations roster.

Even though Mbaye has only played in 26 professional games for PSG (1 goal, 2 assists), Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, has already come to trust him.

The young assailant took advantage of the situation after being called up before his 18th birthday, which he will celebrate on January 24. Mbaye made an impact in his maiden start against Kenya following a brief 15-minute appearance in a friendly defeat to Brazil.

With Mbaye at the centre of the action, the Lions of Teranga destroyed Kenya 8-0. He gave two assists (for Malick Diouf in the 12th and Sadio Mané in the 17th), won a penalty that Mané converted in the 31st, and launched his international career with a brilliant left-footed shot in the 48th minute.

To a rousing ovation, he replaced Cheikh Sabaly after a powerful 68 minutes. Just weeks before the AFCON and seven months before the World Cup, the Trappes native's record-breaking achievement has greatly raised his profile.

"My guys actually followed instructions; therefore, I want to commend them on that. After the victory, Pape Thiaw told AfriqueSports, "They played a serious match, respected our game plan, and I considered that extremely essential." "It is a huge asset when you have competitive players that detest losing and know how to recover from a setback, Thiaw Applauds the Team's Attention

The coach admitted that it was a great opportunity for Mbaye, whose growth continues on a steady upward track, even though he pointed out that the overwhelming victory should be put in perspective.

He has already made 14 appearances for PSG in all competitions this season, and Luis Enrique is starting to include him more frequently.

Despite his lack of consistency, his Champions League start versus Barcelona demonstrated his club manager's faith in him. Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele's absences have put Mbaye in a position to gain more playing time and establish himself as a promising international player.

ERLING HAALAND IN PARIS? PSG REPORTEDLY ASKS TO BE KEPT INFORMED ON CITY STRIKER'S FUTURE

PSG is eyeing Erling Haaland: Discover why Ousmane Dembele is being offered to the PL after his fallout with Luis Enrique.

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PSG is rebuilding its global brand around Erling Haaland's status

Paris Saint-Germain, fresh off their European triumph, have started poking around about Erling Haaland’s future at Manchester City. That’s according to sources.

Haaland settled at City and signed a massive long-term deal just last January. But that hasn’t stopped Europe’s biggest clubs from sniffing around. Barcelona and Real Madrid, for example, both seem convinced there are release clauses in Haaland’s contract that could let him chase his dream of playing in Spain.

Sure, a move to La Liga feels like the obvious next step for Haaland someday, but PSG aren’t sitting back. They’ve now asked to be kept in the loop if anything changes with Haaland down the line.

Important detail: PSG’s interest in Haaland isn’t tied up in the drama swirling around Ousmane Dembele. Dembele’s future in Paris has gotten pretty cloudy. He ruffled feathers after a tough loss to Rennes, basically calling out his teammates for playing selfishly. “If we play as individuals, it won’t work,” he reportedly said. That didn’t exactly win him friends in the dressing room.

Manager Luis Enrique didn’t mince words, either. He called Dembele’s comments “worthless” and made it clear that no player is bigger than the club.

Things got even messier when Enrique subbed Dembele off before half an hour had passed in PSG’s Champions League match at Monaco. His replacement, Desire Doue, helped spark a comeback win of 3-2 for PSG. That turnaround didn’t do much to help Dembele’s standing.

Now, with all this tension, intermediaries have started quietly gauging interest from other clubs for Dembele. Only a handful of teams could actually afford him, and most of the early feelers have gone out to Premier League sides.

From what we’re hearing, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea have all been approached about a possible move.

Right now, it’s anyone’s guess if PSG will try to patch things up with Dembele or nudge him out the door. One thing’s for sure, though: the club’s covering all its bases. They’re keeping tabs on Haaland, even if signing him soon feels like a long shot.

INJURY MYSTERY: INSIDE THE RECURRING CALF ISSUES THREATENING OUSMANE DEMBéLé’S ELITE CAREER

Ousmane Dembélé’s season is in doubt after a calf injury vs Monaco. Discover how Désiré Doué saved PSG with a stunning 3-2 brace.

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PSG star suffers fresh injury blow in 3-2 Monaco thriller

Ousmane Dembélé’s season keeps getting rough. On Tuesday, he limped off in the first half against Monaco, adding another injury to his already frustrating year with Paris Saint-Germain.

Désiré Doué stepped in for Dembélé and immediately made things happen. He scored twice, helped set up the other goal, and suddenly PSG found themselves heading back to Paris with a 3-2 lead for next Wednesday’s return leg.

Dembélé, already dealing with a leg problem, lasted just 26 minutes at Stade Louis II. The Ballon d'Or winner has basically been fighting injuries all season. Not long before he walked off, cameras caught him rubbing the back of his left calf, then rolling down his sock. He didn’t look comfortable at all.

Coach Luis Enrique insisted he didn’t take any risks starting Dembélé. “We know how each player’s feeling. No risk, he trained like normal,” Enrique said. “We’ll see if there’s really an injury. He took a knock early, then couldn’t keep running.”

PSG actually trailed 2-0 when Dembélé left, but Doué helped turn things around by halftime.

Injuries have haunted Dembélé for a while. He went out early in the season playing for France, then had to leave the pitch early against Bayern Munich back in November. Even in Barcelona, injuries continued to get in the way.

Doué wasted no time after coming on. Two minutes later, he fired a low shot into the bottom right corner to get PSG back in it. When he celebrated, he cupped his hands over his ears, like he was tuning out all the recent criticism.

“The coach makes his choices. It’s always a team effort, win or lose,” Doué said. “The most important thing is just to win games like this.”

Before the match, Luis Enrique had actually criticised some of his star players after PSG dropped out of first place in Ligue 1 with a loss to Rennes.

Just before halftime, Doué played a big part in PSG’s equaliser. His shot was pushed away by Monaco’s keeper Philipp Köhn, but the ball bounced right to Achraf Hakimi in the box. Hakimi buried it in the bottom left corner.

Then, in the 67th minute, Doué got his second. Warren Zaïre-Emery found him at the edge of the box, and Doué slipped another low shot into the right corner.

Earlier, Köhn had kept out Vitinha’s penalty in the 22nd minute. Monaco’s Aleksandr Golovin didn’t help his team’s cause, getting sent off early for a clumsy foul on Vitinha. So, PSG’s comeback had plenty of drama and a lot of Doué.

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