Paris Saint-Germain and Rennes played out a 2-2 draw at Roazhon Park in the opening game of Ligue 1's regular season. The result keeps both sides level on points after two matches, though Rennes sit fifth while PSG remain twelfth in the table. By then it was clear the match would hinge on moments rather than possession.
Rennes took the lead through Szymanski's ninth-minute strike, and Doué saw a goal ruled out for offside shortly after. Lepaul doubled the visitors' advantage in the thirty-eighth minute before PSG's substitutions changed the complexion. To be fair, Dembélé and Kvaritskhelia arrived at half-time with purpose.
Paris came alive after the break, with Torres scoring twice in quick succession. The first came in the seventy-first minute, and he added another in the eighty-second to complete his brace. And here's the thing - it felt like three or four moments decided the match, not the statistics.
The numbers tell an odd story. Rennes dominated possession at 69 per cent and created more chances, yet PSG matched them on the scoreboard. The hosts registered 0.87 expected goals against 2.16 for the visitors, but shots on target told a different tale - three for PSG, five for Rennes.
Both teams showed discipline with two yellow cards each, though Luis Enrique picked up a booking for the visitors' coach. Marquinhos and Hakimi also went to the referee, while Tamari and Thomasson were cautioned for Rennes. The substitutions kept coming, with Frankowski and Soumare among the latest arrivals.