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• Luis Enrique lauds Dembele display ahead of Champions League opener

  Luis Enrique showered praise on Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele after his brace kept the defending champions perfect in Ligue 1. 

  Dembele netted either side of Fabian Ruiz's 73rd-minute strike in PSG's 3-1 win over Brest on Saturday, having overcome Romain Del Castillo's opener. 

  The Frenchman has already scored as many goals in four league matches this season as he did in 26 encounters last season (three). 

  Dembele has also scored two headed goals this term, as many as in 211 career league games before that.

  He also recorded the most shots on target (five) and touches in the opposition box (12) on Saturday, with his expected goals (xG) tally of 0.76 only bettered by midfielder Marco Asensio (1.08). 

  "I didn't realise he scored two goals, it was a difficult match against a tough team," Luis Enrique said. 

  "The least important thing is that he scored two goals, we had many chances for several players to score.

  "I've been a Dembele admirer for many years, he's a different player, he comes out on the left and on the right, he has a change of pace, he's intelligent.

  "When you are lucky enough to have players of the quality I have, it's a pleasure and a privilege."

  PSG kickstart their quest for Champions League glory on Wednesday when they welcome Girona to the Parc des Princes. 

  Luis Enrique was able to rest the likes of Marquinhos, Asensio and Achraf Hakimi ahead of their meeting with the Catalan side, something he was grateful for. 

  "Versatility is what makes this squad, of course you miss some players," he said. 

  "But I have seen the same ability to play, we are a young team full of desire and hunger, it's a wonderful feeling.

  "We were able to rest several players, but [Lucas] Beraldo and [Milan] Skriniar were sensational.

  "Fabian is in great shape as last season and at the Euros, Lee Kang-in was superb, Joao Neves great in attack and defence.

  "I am very fortunate to have this kind of team. The goal is that everyone wants to keep winning titles."

• Venezia win a boost for Liverpool and Inter clashes, says Fonseca

  Paulo Fonseca believes Milan gained a much-needed confidence boost from their 4-0 win over Venezia with big clashes against Liverpool and Inter coming up.

  The 51-year-old had already come under pressure after a lacklustre start to life at Milan, with two draws and a defeat in their opening three games.

  However, a comfortable home victory over Venezia eased some of that, as Milan scored four goals in the opening 30 minutes of a match for the first time since October 1958.

  "Our season already started four rounds ago, we dropped points and need to recover lost ground, but it was important to win and to win like this. It gives the players confidence to keep growing," Fonseca told Sky Sports Italia.

  While Saturday's victory offered some relief for the Portuguese coach, the real test awaits when Milan host Liverpool in their Champions League opener on Tuesday, followed by a derby against Inter next weekend.

  "I have to be honest, I've already started thinking about both games against Liverpool and Inter. I realise the importance of the derby. Liverpool will be very difficult, but I cannot deny I have already started studying Inter, too," Fonseca said.

  "I know what it means to the fans, we are working to have good performances in both matches."

  Fonseca denied that recent protests from fans, including banners placed in the stands just before kick-off warning that things needed to turn around quickly, threw him off balance.

  "I think as a coach that I have to deal with these situations with balance, stay focused on my work and ignore everything around us," he said.

  "Milan is a club that always has the pressure to win. If we coaches don't want this pressure, then we shouldn’t be coaches."

• LA Galaxy 4-2 Los Angeles FC: Hosts claim playoff spot with stunning second-half comeback

  LA Galaxy stunned derby rivals Los Angeles FC on Saturday with a superb second-half comeback to seal a 4-2 victory.

  They overturned a 2-0 half-time lead with four unanswered goals around Lewis O'Brien's sending-off, becoming the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot.

  Mateusz Bogusz gambled by peeling away to the back post and was in the right place to head Denis Bouanga's deflected cross into the back of the net after just four minutes.

  Just 11 minutes later, Bouanga made another driving run down the left and went for goal himself, drilling a low shot past John McCarthy from a tight angle. They could have had a third before the break, but Olivier Giroud's half-volley struck the inside of the post.

  Dejan Joveljic got his first, rifling into the roof of the net after a wonderful turn, and just two minutes later, Edwin Cerrillo scored a stunning goal of his own, beating Hugo Lloris from distance by curling it in off the outside of his boot.

  Joveljic's second was opportunistic – he stuck out a leg to help Riqui Puig's strike past a wrong-footed Lloris from just in front of the goal line.

  O'Brien was then shown a straight red card for a lunging challenge on Miki Yamane before Puig rounded off the scoring with a whipped effort into the near post.

  Data Debrief: Home advantage

  To use an old cliche, it was a game of two halves, with LA Galaxy proving just why they are top of the table, and eight points clear of LAFC, in a brilliant second 45 minutes.

  However, this is the first time they have won after trailing at half-time in MLS since March 24 against Sporting Kansas City, which they won 3-2, ending a seven-game run.

  The Galaxy have now won 11 of their last 12 regular-season matches at Dignity Health Sports Park (D1), including the last nine in a row.