PSG's difficult start in Ligue 1

On the morning of August 18, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) opened the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 victory over FC Nantes at La Beaujoire Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain started their Ligue 1 title defence with a win, thanks to Vitinha.

Vitinha's 67th-minute strike from distance gave the reigning European champions a three-point start to their French title defence. Just four days after winning the UEFA Super Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Tottenham, PSG open their Ligue 1 campaign with a trip to Nantes.

Coach Luis Enrique implemented a radical rotation policy, making seven changes to the starting lineup from the Super Cup. Captain Marquinhos and Willian Pacho were rested, making way for new signing Illia Zabarnyi to make his debut in the central defender position alongside Lucas Beraldo.

Warren Zaïre-Emery and Lucas Hernandez take up the wings, while the midfield consists of Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz and Kang-In Lee. The attacking trio is led by Bradley Barcola, Ibrahim Mbaye and Gonçalo Ramos.

The match started with PSG dominating, with them having 64% possession in the first half. However, Nantes had a well-organised defence that made things difficult for PSG. It was only in the second half, when Luis Enrique brought on Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembélé, Nuno Mendes and Désiré Doué, that PSG increased the pressure and scored when Vitinha finished from distance.

With just 12 shots (5 on target) and an expected goals (xG) of 1.2 against Nantes, Luis Enrique's side showed they have a lot of room for improvement. Previously, in the European Super Cup against Tottenham, PSG also played unconvincingly.

Recent results show that PSG will face many challenges in the early stages of defending their Ligue 1 and Champions League titles this season.

Source: https://znews.vn/psg-khoi-dau-vat-va-tai-ligue-1-post1577819.html