At the end of a crazy match at Roazhon Park, PSG came back from a long way behind thanks to a winning substitution and a saving brace from Ferran Torres. While Paris's capacity to react is impressive, this 2-2 draw is a reminder of a stubborn truth: Rennes remains a particularly difficult opponent for the French champions.
Rennes strike hard in the first half
There are away trips that look like real traps. Facing a purring but sterile PSG in possession, Rennes did not merely look to defend. The Bretons imposed aggressive pressing, cut off passing lanes in midfield and quickly pushed forward after winning the ball back.
The result: a two-stage punishment. First from Szymański, opportunistic in punishing a poor Parisian positioning, then from Lepaul on a perfectly executed transition. At 2-0, Rennes had done everything right. And behind them, Brice Samba pulled off a few more miracles to keep his team ahead.
Luis Enrique turns the match around at half-time
Faced with his team's lack of impact, Luis Enrique made a decisive call at half-time: Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia came off, Ferran Torres and Fabián Ruiz came on.
The change of scenery was immediate. With Ferran, more mobile and capable of attacking through the middle, Paris found more depth. And above all, the Spanish connection worked wonders.
- First goal: Ruiz finds Ferran in the box.
- Second goal: same duo, same efficiency.
Two assists for Fabián, two goals for Ferran, who marks a stunning Ligue 1 debut and logically walks away with the man-of-the-match award.
Places will come at a high price
Ferran's arrival adds yet another profile to an already rich attack. Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, Doué, Godts, Ferran: the options are numerous and, above all, very different.
Mika Godts, for his part, showed some interesting things on his first outing. Technical, clean in tight spaces, capable of combining quickly, the Belgian offers a different register. He will inevitably suffer from comparisons with Bradley Barcola, particularly in terms of explosiveness and the ability to beat a man one-on-one. But he will need to be judged over time.
The same goes for midfield. Fabián Ruiz has just reminded everyone that he can be much more than a rotation option. His understanding with Ferran and his immediate influence inevitably change Enrique's thinking.
Paris come away with a draw that could have been a defeat. Rennes may regret not holding on to their advantage, while Pacho in particular had to make a goal-line save late in the match.
Ferran Torres scores twice on his debut, Fabián Ruiz provides two assists, Godts shows he can offer a different dimension, and options keep multiplying around Doué, Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia.
Luis Enrique now has more profiles at his disposal, more combinations, and surely some big headaches ahead.
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