Jostled on the Dortmund lawn (1-0), Wednesday 1er May, in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League, PSG did not display its usual offensive ease. For the first time this season, Luis Enrique’s men did not find the net in C1.
And, at the end of the match, eyes fell on the Spanish coach, with a question burning on the lips of most of the journalists present: why Gonçalo Ramos, in great form and author of a double four days later early against Le Havre, did not play a single minute in this offensive desert? Randal Kolo Muani, in a crisis of confidence for his first season at PSG, was preferred to the Portuguese when replacing Bradley Barcola, 25 minutes from time.
Second top scorer for the club in Ligue 1
“Coaches make decisions based on what we think is best for our teams”, simply commented Luis Enrique, aware of the offensive power of his team. The former Spain coach certainly preferred security, RKM being able to ensure the fallback in a suffering left lane, unlike Kylian Mbappé less concerned with defensive prerogatives.
For Gonçalo Ramos, it’s a new Champions League match without playing, a recurrence this season. The man who scored seven goals (play-offs included) in this competition with Benfica last season has only played six minutes (in the first leg against Barça) since the start of the final phase, remaining on the bench for four of the five meetings.
This lack of confidence on the part of his coach during European matches contrasts with the handsome face shown by his striker in national competitions. The club’s second top scorer in Ligue 1 (11 goals), he found the net eleven times in 2024, between the championship and the Coupe de France, displaying a level well above that of his debut. His performances against other big Ligue 1 teams (goals against Marseille, Lyon, Monaco, Lille, Rennes) also speak in his favor. “I think the initial period was a bit difficult, recognized the 22-year-old striker at a press conference before the first leg against Dortmund. There was a time of adaptation. I worked a lot. »
Above all, Gonçalo Ramos has a different profile from that of his teammates and competitors on the PSG offensive line: stronger (1.85 m), less comfortable in depth and better back to the game, it is a useful and complementary anchor point for the Dembélé, Mbappé or Barcola arrows. His presence in the area, against a German team which would have to give up the ball to the Parisians, would also be an additional weapon.
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It remains to be seen whether the Portuguese will start this semi-final return. His only start in the Champions League this season, on the pitch at Newcastle (4-1), corresponds to PSG’s big road trip in C1. “You never know who is going to start, that’s why every player is ready to play”smiled Cristiano Ronaldo’s competitor in the selection, who scored a hat-trick during the last World Cup.
