In the opening matchday of the French Ligue 1 (match on 23 August 2026), defending champions PSG came close to losing away to Rennes. The Parisians were trailing 0-2, but in the second half, thanks to new signing Ferran Torres, they managed to equalise and took a 2-2 draw. For Rennes, this was a missed opportunity to pull off a sensation at the start of the season, while for PSG it was a warning sign after a confident start in European and domestic competitions.

Rennes stunned the champions in the first half

The home side surprised the decorated opponents in the 9th minute: Sebastian Szymanski put Rennes ahead. The Parisians tried to respond with a goal by Desire Doue, however the goal was disallowed for offside. After that, Rennes doubled their lead - Przemyslaw Frankowski found Esteban Lepoint in the box, and the latter shocked PSG to make it 2-0. At half-time, Luis Enrique's team were two goals down and had to change tactics.

Ferran Torres became the match's hero

The turning point came after the break: Luis Enrique brought on new signing Ferran Torres in place of Ousmane Dembele, and the Spaniard turned into the team's saviour. First, Torres finished a one-touch finish from a pass by his compatriot Fabian Ruiz, and eight minutes before the end of regular time the same duo set up the second goal - this time Torres headed in a precise strike. The result - 2-2, and PSG escaped defeat in their opening league match.

Season context and the Zabaorny situation

At the start of the season, PSG had already won the UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa, but lost the French Super Cup to Lens. Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabaorny was named in the squad for the match against Rennes, but never came on, sitting on the bench for the entire game; in the early matches of the season he had only appeared in the French Super Cup. The 23-year-old centre-back's contract with PSG runs until 2030. Despite rumours of interest from English clubs, the player himself does not comment on his form and does not express a desire to change clubs.

Upcoming matches

In the next round, PSG will again play away - on 28 August at 21:45 Kyiv time, Luis Enrique's team will face Lille. Rennes, for their part, will host Ligue 1 newcomers Le Mans on 30 August at 18:15 Kyiv time. It is also noted that PSG currently still have problems with their home stadium, which further complicates the club's schedule.