Paris Saint-Germain began their French Ligue 1 title defense with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Rennes at Roazhon Park. The match, which was relocated from the French capital due to the poor condition of the Parc des Princes pitch, saw Ferran Torres emerge as the hero for the visitors.
Torres, a 26-year-old summer signing and recent World Cup winner with Spain, made his Ligue 1 debut as a second-half substitute. He opened his account for the club just weeks after netting the decisive goal in the World Cup final. Luis Enrique had initially named both Torres and fellow new arrival Maghnes Akliouche on the bench.
Rennes took control early, with Sebastian Szymanski firing home a low effort from outside the box in the 21st minute, following a setup by debutant Adrien Thomasson and a header from Esteban Lepaul. Rennes extended their lead seven minutes before halftime after a counter-attack involving Moussa Al Tamari and a delicate backheel from the Egypt international, which allowed Lepaul to score.
Despite PSG showing attacking intent—including an effort from Desire Doue that was disallowed for offside—the visitors struggled to hit the target early on. Luis Enrique turned to his bench, introducing Torres, Akliouche, and Fabian Ruiz. The tactical shift paid off when Torres scored his first goal by nutmegging Rennes goalkeeper Brice Samba after receiving a pass from Ruiz. The duo combined again with eight minutes remaining, as Ruiz delivered a cross for Torres to head home the equalizer.
Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Olivier Giroud helped secure a 2-0 victory for Lille against Angers. The veteran striker, who turns 40 next month, opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a long-range drive after collecting a pass from Nabil Bentaleb. Tiago Santos added a second goal just after the half-hour mark. Davide Ancelotti, who took over as Lille coach in June following Bruno Genesio’s departure to Marseille, oversaw the win.
Following the match, Giroud acknowledged the team’s performance, noting that while it was not perfect, they were pleased to start strongly. Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City, was absent from the squad but bid farewell to traveling supporters, with Giroud expressing hope that the team could celebrate a win for him should the transfer proceed.
In other action, Monaco secured a narrow 1-0 victory over newly promoted Le Havre in Normandy, courtesy of a goal from former England defender Eric Dier. The report also notes that ex-Rennes attackers Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue were joined in the Champions League winners’ forward line by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia a week on from losing 1-0 in the French Champions’ Trophy to Lens. The report also notes that well-travelled Thomasson set up the opener by feeding Szymanski who fired home with a low effort from outside the box after 21 minutes after a pin-point header from Lepaul in the build-up. The report also notes that with half an hour left, Akliouche and Ruiz were also brought to the fray and 10 minutes later PSG cut the deficit as Torres made the most of a pass from his compatriot to nutmeg Rennes goalkeeper Brice Samba. The report also notes that lille finished third in the French top flight last season to qualify for the Champions League league phase. The report also notes that we could have killed the game off earlier,” he added. The report also notes that despite not being involved in the matchday squad, the 18-year-old Moroccan said his potential goodbyes to travelling fans after the game, lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City and. The report also notes that we don’t know what will happen,” Giroud said.
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