Dunkerque 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain: Dembele double inspires semi-final turnaround

Ousmane Dembele scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat second-tier Dunkerque 4-2 and reach the Coupe de France final.

Dunkerque, making their first-ever semi-final appearance in the competition, took the lead seven minutes in as Vincent Sasso tapped home a flicked ball from Alec Georgen after a set-piece.

Muhannad Yahya Al-Saad then fired home a low volley, catching the PSG backline off guard from a Gaetan Courtet flick-on, to extend the hosts’ advantage in the 27th minute.

Dembele pulled one back just before half-time, with a powerful shot off Achraf Hakimi’s pass, and Luis Enrique’s side never looked back from that point on.

Marquinhos equalised three minutes after the restart when stooping to head home Dembele’s cross at the far post.

Desire Doue then put the visitors ahead just past the hour when his deflected shot beat Ewen Jaouen, before Dembele sealed the comeback by scoring his 32nd goal across all competitions this season.

PSG will face either Cannes or Reims, who meet on Wednesday, in the showpiece as they go in search of a record-extending 16th Coupe de France crown.

Our Parisians turned the match around to secure a place in the Coupe de France final! #USLDPSG (2-4) | #CDF pic.twitter.com/390A7w08KP

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 1, 2025

Data Debrief: PSG recover from unusual deficit

Opta’s live-win prediction offered the hosts only a 7.4% chance of victory before kick-off, yet Dunkerque appeared set to turn all history on its head with their rapid start on Tuesday.

Indeed, this was the first time in 64 Coupe de France matches that PSG had trailed by two goals in the competition since a 3-1 quarter-final defeat against Lyon in March 2012.

However, Dembele’s double inspired the comeback, which may have been harsh on Dunkerque, who amassed 1.13 expected goals to PSG’s 1.61.

Luis Enrique will never have doubted the quality of his side, though, with PSG reaching their 15th Coupe de France final this century, 12 more than any other side (Lyon, Rennes, Auxerre and Marseille all three).