Rennes hold PSG to 2-2 draw at Roazhon Park in Ligue 1 opener

Rennes held Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-2 draw at Roazhon Park in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with Ferran Torres coming off the bench to score twice after Rennes had built a 2-0 lead.

Paris Saint-Germain introduced a collection of attacking signings from the bench – described in the report as almost €150m worth of attacking talent and including the player who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final last month – after Rennes dominated the opening period with relentless pressing and quick transitions.

Sebastien Szymanski opened the scoring for Rennes with a sliced effort from outside the box that clipped in off the inside of a post, and Esteban Lepaul, last season’s top scorer in Ligue 1, doubled the lead with a first-time finish towards the near post that beat Matvey Safonov.

PSG had territorial advantage but failed to convert early chances; two former Rennes players, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, had the best opportunities for the visitors, Dembélé notably skying a first-time effort from inside the box.

Luis Enrique replaced Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at half-time and introduced Ferran Torres and Mika Godts, the two signings said to have cost nearly €100m combined, while Maghnes Akliouche, a €50m signing, made his Ligue 1 debut alongside Fabián Ruiz.

Fabián Ruiz provided the assists for both of Torres’ goals — the first after a timed run in behind and the second a close-range header — and Willian Pacho made a goalline clearance in the closing moments to preserve the draw.

On his substitutions, Luis Enrique said: “If you think about what you’ve won, you won’t win anything else. You have to show every day that you are ready,” adding there had been “a big difference in rhythm” between Rennes and PSG and later: “We have to be more ready.”

Rennes’ squad and recruitment were highlighted in the report: the club’s owners, the Pinault family, were credited with shielding the club from the financial crisis affecting Marseille and Monaco; Rennes signed England youth international Charlie Cresswell from Toulouse despite Premier League interest, and Adrien Thomasson arrived from Lens on a free. Manager Franck Haise, who began his career as a Rennes youth coach and returned in February after a spell at Nice, said: “There is more positive than negative,” while the article noted a lapse of concentration from Abdelhamid Aït-Boudlal that cost two points.

Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Marseille beat Strasbourg 4-0 with Strasbourg reduced to ten men after Samir El Mourabet was sent off for a kick on Pierre-Emile Højbjerg on the hour; Marseille’s four goals came past goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen, who is on loan from Chelsea. The piece also noted Strasbourg had replaced Gary O’Neil in the summer when he moved to Ipswich and that there were doubts about Hugo Oliveira, and observed the club had conceded 21 goals in seven friendlies.

Lens defeated Auxerre 5-2 at the Beaujoire on Will Still’s return to Ligue 1; despite losing Pierre Sage and the spine of their side, Lens prevailed as Florian Thauvin scored twice and set up another while Dino Toppmöller began his tenure as Lens manager with a strong win. The article added that European football will provide a fresh challenge once it arrives in September.

Matches in Marseille, Le Mans and Nice were preceded by tributes to Éric Roy, who died from pancreatic cancer in June and who had led Brest in their first European campaign in 2024-25; Julien Lachuer, an internal appointment at Brest over the summer, said: “We have him in our thoughts.” The new era at Brest began with a draw against Le Mans on Saturday, and European football’s arrival in September was noted as the next significant test for the league.