PSG endured a very difficult start to their Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday evening at Roazhon Park. Trailing Rennes 2-0 at half-time, the Parisians eventually fought back to secure a 2-2 draw thanks to a brace from Ferran Torres.
Rennes quickly took advantage of the spaces left by Paris. In the ninth minute, Szymanski opened the scoring with a superb strike from outside the box following a quick transition. Lepaul then doubled the lead in the 39th minute by converting a cross from Frankowski. Despite having 71% possession after 20 minutes, PSG struggled to impose their rhythm. Désiré Doué was Paris’ most dangerous player in the first half and even thought he had equalised, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside. Dembélé also wasted a huge chance before the break as PSG went into the dressing room 2-0 down.
Ferran Torres Completely Changes the Game
Luis Enrique reacted immediately at half-time, bringing on Ferran Torres and Mika Godts for Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia. The decision proved decisive. Constantly making dangerous runs, the Spaniard pulled one back in the 71st minute from a Fabian Ruiz assist. The same duo struck again in the 83rd minute, when Ruiz fired a cross towards the near post and Torres met it perfectly with his head to complete his brace and bring PSG level. Paris could still have lost the game late on, but Pacho produced an exceptional goal-line clearance in the 86th minute to deny Blas after Safonov had been beaten.
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PSG player ratings: Safonov – 4.5: Little he could do about the two goals, but an early dangerous pass and an overall lack of composure. Hakimi – 6: Very active going forward and created several dangerous situations. Marquinhos – 4.5: A difficult first half, particularly when dealing with Rennes’ transitions. Pacho – 6.5: Not flawless before the break, but literally saved PSG with his 86th-minute goal-line clearance. Digne – 4.5: Limited attacking influence and regularly exposed defensively. Vitinha – 5.5: Produced some classy touches, including a superb lofted pass for Hakimi, but failed to dictate the tempo. João Neves – 5: A relatively quiet performance before being replaced by Fabian Ruiz. Zaïre-Emery – 5.5: Plenty of energy and several attempts, but lacked precision in the final third. Désiré Doué – 6.5: PSG’s most dangerous player for much of the match, with a goal ruled out for offside and plenty of initiative, although he sometimes tried to do too much on his own.
Dembélé – 4: Wasted a huge chance in the 37th minute and had too little influence before being replaced at half-time. Kvaratskhelia – 4.5: Lacked inspiration, particularly from set pieces, and never really managed to unsettle the Rennes defence. Ferran Torres – 8.5: PSG’s man of the match. Introduced at half-time, he constantly threatened with his movement before scoring his first two goals for the club in the 71st and 83rd minutes. A decisive debut. Fabian Ruiz – 8: Came on in the 60th minute and provided both assists for Torres, completely transforming PSG’s attacking play. Mika Godts – 5.5: A lively introduction with plenty of movement, but few genuinely dangerous situations. Akliouche – 5.5: Showed good intentions but was still too unselfish, notably when he could have shot from the edge of the box. Beraldo – not rated: Came on with 20 minutes remaining.
