# Luis Enrique hails Dembélé after Strasbourg: decisive 25-minute impact

> Luis Enrique praised Ousmane Dembélé's performance on Saturday, Oct 17, 2026 at the Meinau, noting a 25-minute cameo with a decisive assist and a goal.

- Source : https://www.psg-news.com/en/article/luis-enrique-praises-dembele-s-impact-after-strasbourg-decisive-spell-in-25-minutes
- Published on : 2026-10-17T20:24:38+00:00
- Modified : 2026-10-17T20:24:45+00:00
- Lang : en
- Publisher : PSG News (https://www.psg-news.com/)
- Tags : luis enrique, ousmane dembélé, psg, ligue 1
- Other languages : fr: https://www.psg-news.com/article/luis-enrique-loue-la-contribution-d-ousmane-dembele-apres-strasbourg-une-entree-decisive-en-25-minutes
- Photo : Антон Зайцев, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ousmane_Demb%C3%A9l%C3%A9_World_Cup_Trophy.jpg

## Key takeaways

- Saturday, October 17, 2026: Strasbourg 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain at the Meinau.
- Ousmane Dembélé came on in the second half, delivering a decisive pass and then scoring (85').
- Luis Enrique stated that roughly 25 minutes with a decisive pass and a goal justifies that playing time.
- Other PSG scorers against Strasbourg: Illia Zabarnyi (77') and Désiré Doué (90'+3').
- Next official match: Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona, Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 21:00 at the Parc des Princes.

## Dembélé's decisive moment at the Meinau

In a [Ligue 1](/en/tag/ligue%201) clash, Strasbourg 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain, Giovanni Reyna opened the scoring for Strasbourg in the 17th minute. [PSG](/en/tag/psg) then overturned the deficit thanks to goals recorded in the official data: Illia Zabarnyi (77'), [Ousmane Dembélé](/en/tag/ousmane%20demb%C3%A9l%C3%A9) (85') and Désiré Doué (90'+3') for Paris Saint-Germain. [Luis Enrique](/en/tag/luis%20enrique) stressed that Dembélé, who came on in the second half, had an immediate impact by providing a decisive pass before finding the net, which, in his view, fully justifies his limited playing time.

## Luis Enrique defends the management of playing time

The coach defended his decision to bring Dembélé on in the second half and to limit his time on the pitch to around a quarter of an hour, arguing that effectiveness takes precedence over minutes played. This stance fits within the coaching staff's approach to individual management when a player directly influences the outcome: delivering a goal or a decisive pass changes the cost/benefit of the time allotted.

## Implications for rotation and the bench

Enrique's remark highlights the strategy of using offensive players from the bench: prioritizing immediate impact over minutes accumulated. By recalling that Dembélé provided a decisive pass and a goal during this short spell, the coach affirms the relevance of his rotation choices for this squad.

The facts remain straightforward: on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Paris Saint-Germain triumphed 3-1 in Strasbourg with a decisive contribution from Ousmane Dembélé after coming on, and Luis Enrique defended the principle that such an contribution in 25 minutes is enough.

## Your questions, our answers

**Who scored against Strasbourg on October 17, 2026?**

Illia Zabarnyi (77'), Ousmane Dembélé (85') and Désiré Doué (90'+3') scored for Paris Saint-Germain; Giovanni Reyna opened Strasbourg's scoring (17').

**What did Luis Enrique say about Ousmane Dembélé's performance?**

Luis Enrique said that an entry of about 25 minutes resulting in a decisive pass and a goal constitutes a sufficient contribution.

**When does PSG play after Strasbourg?**

Paris Saint-Germain hosts Barcelona on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 21:00 at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League.


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