PARIS (AP) — Ousmane Dembélé’s goals are drying up for Paris Saint-Germain at just the wrong moment.
PSG has a Champions League semifinal coming up against an Arsenal team brimming with confidence after eliminating 15-time champion Real Madrid in fine style.
Dembélé hasn't scored in the past three Ligue 1 games for French champion PSG and has netted only once in the past five Champions League matches. His last goal in either competition was in mid-March.
Although Dembélé did score twice in the French Cup semifinal, that was against second-tier Dunkerque and he hasn't looked at his sharpest in recent weeks.
It's a far cry from earlier in the season, when he netted two straight Ligue 1 hat tricks and scored in 10 straight games to establish himself as the team’s leading player following Kylian Mbappé’s offseason departure to Real Madrid.
France's soccer media has been speculating about Dembélé's mood since the return leg of the quarterfinal against Aston Villa.
PSG lost 3-2 after succumbing to a second-half onslaught from the English team but advanced 5-4 on aggregate. Dembélé appeared to reproach some of his teammates for easing up after leading 2-0 in the return leg to move 5-1 up overall, and there was reportedly little celebrating in the dressing room after the game.
PSG coach Luis Enrique must decide whether to start Dembélé in Friday's home game against Nice, in the hope he rediscovers his scoring touch, or keep him rested for Tuesday's encounter with Arsenal.
He may need the lightning-fast Dembélé at his skillful best against a side that limited Madrid's star-studded attack to one goal in a two-game quarterfinal series and kept Mbappé quiet.
While PSG is aiming to win the Champions League for the first time, Nice is bidding to qualify for next season's competition.
Coach Franck Haise's fifth-place team is inconsistent but remains a candidate to finish in the top three and secure an automatic place. The team in fourth place enters Champions League qualifying.
Heading into this weekend's games, Nice was two points behind Lille in fourth; three behind Monaco in third spot, and four adrift of second-place Marseille.
Nice has extra incentive to beat PSG because Lyon and Strasbourg are just behind on goal difference.
Dembélé’s mini-slump allowed Marseille forward Mason Greenwood to close the gap in the race to finish as Ligue 1's top scorer.
Dembélé leads with 21, while Greenwood has 18.
Jonathan David follows on 16 in what is expected to be his last season with Lille before joining a leading European team in the summer. The Canada striker has scored 109 goals in 228 games since joining Lille five years ago.
Marseille hosts mid-table Brest at Stade Velodrome, and Lille travels to Angers — both on Sunday.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
PSG's Ousmane Dembele, left, makes an attempt to score during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park stadium, Birmingham, England, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday he urgently wants “to make a deal” with Iran to wind down its nuclear program but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region as part of any potential agreement.
Iran "must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons," Trump said in remarks at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital. "They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
The U.S. and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month focused on Iran's nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly said that he believes brokering a deal is possible but that the window is closing.
The Republican president's strongly worded push on Iran to cease support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen come as its proxy network has faced significant setbacks in the 19 months since Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump's remarks “deceitful" but did not directly address the U.S. leader's call on Iran to cease support of proxy groups.
Later, Trump, in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One, urged Iran “to make the right decision" about its nuclear program "because something’s going to happen one way or the other.”
“So we’ll either do it friendly or we’ll do it very unfriendly,” Trump warned. “And that won’t be pleasant.”
Trump said that he believed the moment was ripe “for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah terrorists.” Hezbollah is severely weakened after its war last year with Israel in which much of its top leadership was killed, and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send arms.
Trump's comments on Iran came after he met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a face-to-face engagement with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq.
Trump agreed to meet al-Sharaa at the end of his stay in Saudi Arabia. He then headed to Qatar, where he is being honored with a state visit. His Mideast tour also will take him to the United Arab Emirates later this week.
Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family.
Trump said he decided to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria.
Trump told reporters that the meeting with al-Sharaa went "great" and described him as a “young, attractive guy” with a “very strong past.”
“He’s got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said.
Prince Mohammed joined Trump and al-Sharaa for the meeting, which lasted 33 minutes. Erdogan also took part in the talks via video conference.
The prince said Trump's decision to engage with al-Sharaa and lift the sanctions will “alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people” and spur a “new chapter” for the nation.
Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaida.
Al-Sharaa returned to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011 and led al-Qaida’s branch called the Nusra Front. He changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and cut links with al-Qaida.
The sanctions go back to the rule of Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations left the sanctions in place after Assad’s fall as they sought to take the measure of al-Sharaa.
After meeting with members of the GCC — which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — Trump flew to Qatar, the second stop in his Mideast tour.
Like the Saudis did a day earlier, Qatar rolled out the red carpet for Trump. Trump was greeted at the airport by Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, and Air Force One was escorted by Qatari F-15 jets as it neared the capital city of Doha.
Trump as he sat down for talks with the emir at the Royal Court told the Qatari leader he was impressed with the “perfecto” marble as well as the camels that took part in his grand arrival ceremony.
Al Thani, for his part, said he had high hopes for Trump's efforts at ending the grinding war in Gaza.
“I know that you are a man of peace,” he said. “I know that you want to bring peace to this region.”
Qatar, like the other Gulf Arab states, is an autocratic nation where political parties are banned and speech is tightly controlled. It is overseen by its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Tamim took power in June 2013 when his father stepped down.
Qatar has also played a central role in pay-to-play-style scandals around the globe.
In Israel, authorities are investigating allegations that Qatar hired close advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch PR campaigns to improve the Gulf nation’s image among Israelis.
Two European Union lawmakers were accused of taking money from Doha in a scandal dubbed “Qatar-gate.” U.S. prosecutors in 2020 accused Qatar of bribing FIFA executive committee members to secure the tournament in the country in 2022.
In 2024, RTX Corp., the defense contractor formerly known as Raytheon, agreed to pay more than $950 million to resolve allegations that it defrauded the U.S. government and paid bribes to secure business with Qatar. Doha always has denied wrongdoing.
Qatar also has served as a key mediator, particularly with the militant group Hamas as the international community pursues a ceasefire for the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Qatar also served as host of the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban that led to America’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Qatar is home to Al-Udeid Air Base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command.
The oil-and-gas rich country is also in the center of a controversy over its offer to provide Trump with the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the U.S. could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing.
The Qatari government has said a final decision hasn’t been made. But Trump has defended the idea even as critics argue it would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government.
Trump has indicated he would refurbish the aircraft and it would later be donated to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he leaves office.
AP writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meet at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, welcomes President Donald Trump for the group photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, fifth left, attends a group photo session with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, fourth right, with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, second right, Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, left, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, third left, Kuwait's Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, second left, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, right, during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In this photo released by the Saudi Royal Palace, President Donald Trump, centre, looks to Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, shake hands with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Syrians celebrate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to ease sanctions on Syria and move toward normalizing relations with its new government to give the country 'a chance at peace,' in Idlib, Syria, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Stephanie Lecocq/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump salutes as he greets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman delegations at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
