If UEFA did not give the goal to Nuno Mendes against Girona during the first day of the Champions League, the body did however grant the decisive pass to Désiré Doué against Salzburg, despite the fact that his center has been deflected by an opposing defender.
Until Tuesday evening, Désiré Doué was still chasing his first goal with PSG and had only been decisive once since the start of the season, in all competitions. It was in Lille in Ligue 1, on September 1, with a very Nice cross for Randal Kolo Muani at the end of the match for the 3-1 Parisian goal.
Against Salzburg, the former Rennais was a substitute at kick-off and came on in the 66th minute in place of Gonçalo Ramos, in a false point role that he had already occupied in Reims several weeks ago. But Désiré Doué moved a lot and it was from the left side that he was decisive by serving Nuno Mendes behind for the 2-0 goal.
Gifted well credited with an assist in Salzburg
But Désiré Doué's cross was deflected by Salzburg captain Amar Dedic and the question was whether UEFA would credit the French international hopefuls with an assist, for what is his first in the competition. The answer is yes and that's rather fortunate for Doué since without Dedic's deflection, it's not certain that his cross would have arrived in the area from which Mendes emerged to score.
A few weeks earlier, UEFA had not awarded the goal to Nuno Mendes against Girona on the first day since it was a strong cross in front of goal which would never have gone into the net if the Argentinian goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga did not deflect it into his own goal. For this action, UEFA also awarded a decisive pass to the Portuguese left-back, which may seem paradoxical for a counter-camp.
First goal of the season for Doué… and Mendes
Author of PSG's third goal, following a superb collective action and a back pass from Achraf Hakimi (who was also a decisive passer for Gonçalo Ramos), Désiré Doué also took advantage of the match in Salzburg to score his very first goal under the Parisian colors, for his 16th appearance and after numerous attempts since the start of the season. The young midfielder had already come close at Auxerre last Friday but the incredible Donovan Léon deprived him of it in stoppage time.
In one match, Doué therefore increased his record from one decisive action to three and we hope for him and PSG hope that he will continue this momentum. Finally, note that Nuno Mendes, who saw his goals against Girona and Nice not attributed to him by UEFA and the LFP, also scored his very first official goal of the season on Tuesday evening.
