Ferran Torres Leads PSG to First Ligue 1 Victory
Ferran Torres struck early and decisively as Paris Saint-Germain finally ignited their Ligue 1 title defence with a tight 1-0 win away to Brest on Sunday.
Luis Enrique’s side arrived in Brittany under pressure, stuck on two points from three games and looking nothing like reigning champions. They had smashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in the Champions League in midweek, but the domestic campaign had stubbornly refused to catch fire.
One clean swing of Torres’ right boot changed that.
Torres the difference again
The summer signing from Barcelona, who hit a hat-trick in Europe and scored Spain’s World Cup-winning goal this summer, needed just five minutes at the Stade Francis-Le Blé to tilt the afternoon PSG’s way.
Ousmane Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner, sparked the move with a flash of audacity. A deft backheel split the Brest back line and rolled perfectly into the stride of Torres, charging in from the edge of the ‘D’. The Spaniard didn’t hesitate, guiding a precise low shot into the far corner beyond Egil Selvik’s dive.
Six goals in five games for his new club. PSG’s season, finally, had a focal point.
“What matters to me is always helping the team, regardless of how much playing time the coach decides to give me, and doing my part. Whether that's through goals, assists, or my work on the pitch,” the 26-year-old said afterwards. On this evidence, he is doing all three.
The goal lifted PSG up to eighth, drawing them level on points and record with Brest, who had been unbeaten before kick-off.
Emotion in Brittany, tension on the pitch
Before the game, Brest paused for a moment that cut through the usual matchday noise. The club paid tribute to former coach Eric Roy, who died in June at the age of 58 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The home support responded with warmth and applause, a reminder of how quickly football can be dwarfed by real life.
Once the whistle went, Brest refused to be overawed.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia almost doubled PSG’s lead in a lively first half, threatening to put the contest out of reach early. But Brest, spurred on by a raucous home crowd, kept swinging back.
PSG suffered a setback just before the interval. Achraf Hakimi, captain of Morocco and a constant outlet on the right, limped off and was replaced by midfielder Fabian Ruiz, forcing a reshuffle that blunted some of their attacking rhythm.
The change gave Brest a sliver of belief. They grabbed it after the break.
Brest hit the post, PSG hang on
Five minutes into the second half, PSG nearly undid all their early work with a moment of carelessness. Nuno Mendes played a loose ball straight across his own area and Kamory Doumbia pounced. With only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to beat, Doumbia drilled his shot past him – but not past the woodwork. The ball cannoned off the post and PSG breathed again.
The pressure didn’t stop there. Two minutes later the ball was bundled into the Brest net, only for the referee to rule it out for a push by Warren Zaire-Emery that had forced the decisive mistake. Brest raged, the stadium erupted, and PSG suddenly found themselves clinging to a fragile lead rather than cruising.
As the clock ticked down, Safonov became the visitors’ unlikely hero. Pathe Mboup found space and drove a low effort towards the far corner late on, the kind of strike that often punishes hesitant champions. Safonov read it, sprang low and managed to flick the ball past his post with his fingertips. That save, as much as Torres’ finish, secured the points.
PSG left Brittany with their first league win of the season and just enough evidence to suggest the slow start might be behind them. The questions around consistency, though, are not going away.
Ethan Mbappe’s response lifts Lille to the summit
Earlier in the day, Ethan Mbappe rewrote his week in the space of a few seconds.
Sent off in midweek during Lille’s 3-2 home defeat to Real Betis in the Champions League for elbowing an opponent, the younger brother of Kylian Mbappe walked into Sunday’s match against Troyes under scrutiny.
He walked off it as the match-winner.
Coming off the bench, the 19-year-old struck in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 victory, adding to a first-half opener from Portuguese full-back Tiago Santos. It was his first goal since December, and he marked it with a subdued celebration, choosing instead to apologise to the supporters for his red card.
Lille coach Davide Ancelotti saw exactly what he wanted.
“He came to his senses after his red card and showed maturity beyond his years; he took responsibility for his actions,” Ancelotti said. “This week has been very important for him personally, helping him to grow as a player and as a person. As for his qualities, he certainly has them – he showed that again today.”
The win pushed Lille to the top of Ligue 1 on goal difference, above Monaco and Rennes, and underlined the impact of Ancelotti, son of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti. His side have taken 10 points from a possible 12.
Lens stuck between two worlds
For Lens, the contrast could hardly be sharper.
Last season’s surprise title challengers have shown they can still rise to the big occasion: a 3-2 Champions League win away to Slavia Prague on Thursday, and a victory over PSG in the French Champions’ Trophy last month, both hinted at a team built for the spotlight.
The league table tells a different story.
Lens were held to a 2-2 draw at newly-promoted Le Mans on Sunday, a result that leaves them with just four points from four Ligue 1 outings and sitting 10th. European nights and one-off showpieces still bring out their best, but the grind of the domestic campaign is proving a far tougher opponent.
PSG are only just up and running, Lille are already setting the pace, and Lens are caught somewhere in between. How long that balance holds may define the shape of this Ligue 1 season.
