The Dembélé blind pass with the sole of his foot to Vitinha leading to Paris St. Germain’s third goal is genius. In fact, it’s really a blind bottom of the pass by Dembélé – he can’t see exactly how much space there is. Moreover, it’s an unorthodox give and go. Rather than laying the ball back, he almost flicks the ball behind him with the soul of his foot.
But what it does is keep the play moving. Doesn’t kill it. Which is perhaps the genius of Paris St. Germain’s team overall. Their quick passing game is not just about possession but attack. PSG course want to keep the soccer ball, but they will cut through a defense with a few quick passes when it’s on.
The brilliant sequences of passes and the whole play could’ve been stopped if Dembélé doesn’t roll the ball backwards for Vitinha to run onto. It’s just savvy awareness by Dembélé to see that the open space is behind him.
The seas part and enable Vitinha to break free and play a perfectly weighted pass to Désiré Doué for the third goal. The play epitomizes how well Dembélé and Vitinha know one another and where they want the soccer ball.
Watch the Dembélé blind pass in the video below. It’s an incredible goal all around.
Paris Saint Germain manager Luis Enrique deserves a ton of praise for what he’s done with the team. It was once a team made up of stars like Zlatan Ibrahimović and David Beckham. And then there were soccer’s elite stars like Neymar, Messi, and Mbappé. But they found success with a team of young stars, who can both attack and defend. A team who clearly plays for one another. And they are so good. They might just win the Champions League next year, too.
Enrique praised Dembélé after the Champions League final:
“I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Mr Ousmane Dembélé,” Enrique has now said, highlighting the all-round work ethic he has seen from the winger. “The way he defended [against Inter]…only that can be worth the Ballon d’Or. This is how you lead a team. Goals, titles, leadership, defending, how he was pressing. Ousmane is my Ballon d’Or. No doubts at all.”
