Torres Goes From World Cup Final Winner to Ligue 1 Debut Hero in PSG Comeback
Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the World Cup final for Spain a matter of weeks ago. On Saturday, in his first Ligue 1 appearance for Paris Saint-Germain, he did it again in miniature, coming off the bench to score twice and rescue a 2-2 draw at Rennes as the reigning champions opened their title defense.
PSG had looked well off the pace for most of the afternoon. Rennes led at halftime after goals from Sebastian Szymanski and Esteban Lepaul, and Luis Enrique’s side, missing a settled attacking rhythm even with Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leading the line, struggled to convert their possession into anything meaningful. The match had been relocated from the French capital entirely due to the poor condition of the Parc des Princes pitch, adding an unfamiliar backdrop to an already shaky start.
Szymanski’s opener came in the 21st minute, finished from outside the box after Adrien Thomasson, making his league debut for Rennes following his summer move from Lens, set up the buildup with a pass to Lepaul. Rennes doubled their lead seven minutes before the break through a swift counter-attack, with winger Moussa Al Tamari driving forward and a delicate back-heel helping tee up Lepaul’s second.
Luis Enrique turned to his bench at halftime, bringing on Torres, and the change quickly reshaped the game. Ten minutes after later introductions of Maghnes Akliouche and fellow World Cup winner Fabian Ruiz, Torres pulled one back, nutmegging Rennes goalkeeper Brice Samba after a pass from his Spanish compatriot. With eight minutes remaining, the two combined again, Ruiz crossing for Torres to head home the equalizer.
“The game was difficult, we knew it would be,” Torres said afterward. “I just put my hand up then with Fabian’s quality, you just have to run and he puts the ball in the right place.”
PSG pushed for a winner in the closing stages but couldn’t find one, settling for a share of the points in a season-opener that looked far more comfortable on paper than it played out on the pitch.
Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Olivier Giroud turned back the clock at Angers, scoring the opener as Lille beat their hosts 2-0 to hand new coach Davide Ancelotti a winning start. Giroud, who turns 40 next month, curled in a long-range drive in the 11th minute before Tiago Santos doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark. Ancelotti, son of Carlo Ancelotti, took over at Lille in June following Bruno Genesio’s departure to Marseille. “It wasn’t perfect, but we wanted to start strongly today,” Giroud said, adding that Lille could have put the game away earlier than they did.
In Normandy, former England defender Eric Dier scored the only goal as Monaco edged newly promoted Le Havre 1-0.
Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the World Cup final for Spain a matter of weeks ago. On Saturday, in his first Ligue 1 appearance for Paris Saint-Germain, he did it again in miniature, coming off the bench to score twice and rescue a 2-2 draw at Rennes as the reigning champions opened their title defense.
PSG had looked well off the pace for most of the afternoon. Rennes led at halftime after goals from Sebastian Szymanski and Esteban Lepaul, and Luis Enrique’s side, missing a settled attacking rhythm even with Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leading the line, struggled to convert their possession into anything meaningful. The match had been relocated from the French capital entirely due to the poor condition of the Parc des Princes pitch, adding an unfamiliar backdrop to an already shaky start.
Szymanski’s opener came in the 21st minute, finished from outside the box after Adrien Thomasson, making his league debut for Rennes following his summer move from Lens, set up the buildup with a pass to Lepaul. Rennes doubled their lead seven minutes before the break through a swift counter-attack, with winger Moussa Al Tamari driving forward and a delicate back-heel helping tee up Lepaul’s second.
Luis Enrique turned to his bench at halftime, bringing on Torres, and the change quickly reshaped the game. Ten minutes after later introductions of Maghnes Akliouche and fellow World Cup winner Fabian Ruiz, Torres pulled one back, nutmegging Rennes goalkeeper Brice Samba after a pass from his Spanish compatriot. With eight minutes remaining, the two combined again, Ruiz crossing for Torres to head home the equalizer.
“The game was difficult, we knew it would be,” Torres said afterward. “I just put my hand up then with Fabian’s quality, you just have to run and he puts the ball in the right place.”
PSG pushed for a winner in the closing stages but couldn’t find one, settling for a share of the points in a season-opener that looked far more comfortable on paper than it played out on the pitch.
Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Olivier Giroud turned back the clock at Angers, scoring the opener as Lille beat their hosts 2-0 to hand new coach Davide Ancelotti a winning start. Giroud, who turns 40 next month, curled in a long-range drive in the 11th minute before Tiago Santos doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark. Ancelotti, son of Carlo Ancelotti, took over at Lille in June following Bruno Genesio’s departure to Marseille. “It wasn’t perfect, but we wanted to start strongly today,” Giroud said, adding that Lille could have put the game away earlier than they did.
In Normandy, former England defender Eric Dier scored the only goal as Monaco edged newly promoted Le Havre 1-0.
