Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League campaign with a convincing 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
New signing Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick for the French team, while Dembélé scored twice and midfielder Fabián Ruiz added a late sixth goal to complete the dominant performance in the opening round of the league phase.
The host team entered the competition as defending champions and two-time winners of Europe's top club tournament. Facing the modest Slovak champions, Paris Saint-Germain controlled possession from the start and established their superiority early in the match.
Dembélé opened the scoring after 17 minutes. Nuno Mendes struck a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, and Dembélé reacted quickly to turn in the rebound. Six minutes later, Dembélé doubled the lead when he scored with a header to put the host side 2-0 ahead at 23 minutes.
Ferran Torres hat-trick
Torres began his scoring run in the 31st minute of the first half. Dembélé delivered a precise cross into the box, allowing Torres to direct the ball past the goalkeeper and extend the advantage to 3-0 before the interval.
Early in the second half, the Spanish forward transformed the win into a rout. Akliouche produced a fine individual run through the opposition defense before setting up Torres, who finished with a clean strike to score his second goal of the night.
Torres arrived at the Paris club as a major new signing after acting as a key hero in Spain's world title victory. He had already demonstrated his form in domestic football by scoring two goals on his debut against Rennes in the French league.
Match details and late goals
Paris Saint-Germain continued to create chances, and Nuno Mendes saw a goal disallowed before Torres completed his hat-trick. Dembélé provided another assist for Torres, who finished calmly to score his third goal of the evening.
Despite being overwhelmed by the home team's attacking pressure, Slovan Bratislava managed to score a consolation goal. Suleiman Camara found space in the penalty area to pull a goal back for the visiting side.
The French club restored their five-goal advantage late in the match following a mistake in the opposition penalty area. The Slovak defense failed to clear a loose ball, allowing midfielder Fabián Ruiz to strike a powerful shot into the net and seal the 6-1 victory.
Upcoming Champions League fixtures
Slovan Bratislava entered the fixture as the current Slovakian league champions, competing in the elite UEFA Champions League competition. The tournament's league phase features clubs competing across initial rounds before advancing to the knockout stages.
Paris Saint-Germain will return to Champions League action in the second round of the league phase with an away match against Manchester City in England. Slovan Bratislava will play their second fixture at home when they host German side Stuttgart. Both matches are scheduled to take place during the second week of October.
