Ferran Torres Shines in PSG's Narrow Win Over Brest
Ferran Torres struck early and decisively as champions 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 had stumbled out of the blocks in France, collecting just two points from their first three league games. For a squad built to dominate, it was an oddly flat opening act.
Europe told a different story. PSG smashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in the Champions League in midweek, Torres helping himself to a hat-trick. Four days later, the summer signing from Barcelona carried that form straight into Brittany – and into the bottom corner.
Torres, again
The breakthrough came early and with a touch of class. In the fifth minute at Stade Francis-Le Blé, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele produced a moment of audacity, flicking a backheel into the path of the onrushing Torres.
The Spaniard didn’t hesitate. Striding onto the ball just outside the ‘D’, he opened up his body and guided a precise finish low into the far corner, beyond Egil Selvik’s dive. One touch to set it up, one to finish. Clinical.
That made it six goals in five games in all competitions for PSG’s new No. 26, who arrived in Paris fresh from scoring the winner for Spain in this summer’s World Cup final. His impact has been instant, and crucial.
“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,” Torres said afterwards, his words matching the relentless edge of his performances.
The goal lifted PSG up to eighth, level on points and record with Brest, who came into the game unbeaten and confident.
Before kick-off, the home crowd paused for something more important than the table. Brest paid tribute to former coach Eric Roy, who died in June at the age of 58 after suffering from pancreatic cancer. The applause, and the silence that framed it, set a poignant tone.
Brest fight back, PSG sweat
Once behind, Brest refused to fold. The first half swung, chances at both ends, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia close to doubling PSG’s lead as the visitors looked to kill the contest before the break.
But Paris paid a price in that opening period. Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi limped off just before half-time, forcing Luis Enrique into a reshuffle as midfielder Fabian Ruiz came on to plug the gap on the right. The change blunted some of PSG’s thrust and gave Brest more room to breathe.
The second half almost turned on a single, careless touch.
Five minutes after the restart, Nuno Mendes played a loose ball across his own defensive third, straight to Kamory Doumbia. With only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to beat, Doumbia steadied himself and fired – but his effort cannoned back off the post. PSG had been inches from throwing away their lead.
The scare energised Brest. Two minutes later, the ball was in the visitors’ net, the hosts turning it into their own goal under pressure, only for the effort to be ruled out. The referee spotted a push by Warren Zaire-Emery that forced the mistake, and PSG escaped again.
The champions were hanging on by the end. Brest pushed, the noise rose, and PSG’s slick early control gave way to a more rugged resistance.
Safonov stood firm. Late on, Pathe Mboup drilled a low effort toward the far post, only for the Russian keeper to spring down and fingertip the ball wide. It was a vital save, the kind that turns one point into three.
PSG survived. Not spectacular, but necessary. A stuttering domestic campaign finally has a win to lean on.
Ethan Mbappe answers back
Earlier in the day, another storyline cut through the Ligue 1 weekend – this one in Lille, and involving a familiar surname.
Ethan Mbappe, younger brother of France and Real Madrid star Kylian, walked into the match against Troyes with something to repair. Sent off in midweek in Lille’s 3-2 home defeat to Real Betis in the Champions League for elbowing an opponent, the 19-year-old had been under scrutiny.
He responded the right way.
Coming off the bench, Mbappe struck in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 win, adding to a first-half opener from Portuguese full-back Tiago Santos. It was his first goal since December, and he kept the celebration muted, using the moment to apologise to the supporters for his red card rather than revel in it.
The goal did more than close the game. It pushed Lille to the top of Ligue 1 on goal difference, ahead of Monaco and Rennes, and underlined the strong start made under new coach Davide Ancelotti, son of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti. Lille have taken 10 points from a possible 12 under his watch.
“He came to his senses after his red card and showed maturity beyond his years; he took responsibility for his actions,” Davide 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.”
For Ethan Mbappe, it felt like a small but significant step in carving out his own path.
Lens stuck between two worlds
Elsewhere, Lens continue to live a split-screen season.
Last year’s surprise title challengers have already reminded Europe of their bite – a 3-2 Champions League win away at Slavia Prague on Thursday and a victory over PSG in the French Champions’ Trophy last month have underlined their big-game pedigree.
Their domestic form tells a different story.
A 2-2 draw away to newly-promoted Le Mans on Sunday left Lens with just four points from four Ligue 1 matches and sitting 10th in the table. The contrast is stark: giant-killers on the continental stage, stuttering and searching for rhythm back home.
PSG grinding out a narrow win, Lille hitting the top, Lens caught between promise and frustration – Ligue 1’s early weeks are already pulling the season in intriguing directions. The question now is simple: which of these stories hardens into a trend, and which one fades?
