Vitinha leads by example as PSG edge Nantes

After a whirlwind summer that saw Paris Saint-Germain lift the UEFA Champions League, stumble at the FIFA Club World Cup, and return to competitive action with a dramatic UEFA Super Cup triumph over Tottenham, Luis Enrique’s men finally resumed Ligue 1 McDonald’s duties at the Stade de la Beaujoire. Les Parisiens overcame Nantes thanks to a decisive, if fortunate, strike from Vitinha, captaining the side for the first time under Luis Enrique.

PSG looked sharp from the outset. With new signing Illia Zabarnyi making his Ligue 1 McDonald's debut in central defence, the Parisians immediately imposed themselves. Luis Enrique’s side registered 74% possession in the first 45 minutes, circulating the ball with ease and forcing Nantes deep into their own half. Bradley Barcola, making his 100th Ligue 1 appearance at just 22 years old, was lively on the wing. He combined with Vitinha to test the home defence, though his finishing lacked precision. Lee Kang-in also had a close-range effort blocked after good work from Mbaye.

Ramos inches from a dream start

The breakthrough almost came in the 42nd minute, when Ramos latched onto a through ball, outpaced Anthony Lopes, and cut inside before curling an effort onto the bar.

While Nantes had little of the ball, 19-year-old winger Yassine Benhattab brought the crowd to life with some silky runs down the right side. He caused problems for Lucas Hernandez on several occasions, forcing Chevalier into action with a dangerous low cross. New Canaris boss Luís Castro encouraged his side to counter quickly, and with Guirassy and Mohamed up front, Nantes occasionally threatened despite spending much of the half defending.

Les Canaris came out with the same objective for the second half, sitting low and compactly and being encouraged to play quickly on the counter-attack - whilst pressing high when they can afford to do so. Les Parisiens still had Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, Désiré Doué and Nuno Mendes yet to come off the bench. Castro meanwhile rang the changes first for the hosts with Matthis Abline coming on - before PSG's attacking trio entered the fray just before the hour mark.

Vitinha forces the issue

Captain for the evening, Vitinha managed to finally open the scoring after finding some space on the edge of the box and striking a low strike that took a wicked deflection twice and sent Lopes the wrong way before rolling into the back of the net (67'). Gonçalo Ramos would shortly have the ball in the back of the net after being fed through on goal - but after celebrating in front of the home fans, VAR would adjudge his run to have been made too late and was offside.

THE PLAYER: Vitinha

Captained for the first time this evening for Paris Saint-Germain, the Portuguese international was everywhere. At full time the Parisien midfielder had the most touches of all players on the pitch, and he provided the goal which made the difference - despite some luck with a double deflection. "We had some luck, but I'm happy to score for the team. I think that we need to still continue our preparation - we've only been back two weeks but a victory is still very very good," said the midfielder following the game to Ligue1+.

THE STAT: Firing first

PSG have avoided defeat in their last 27 matches when scoring first in the Ligue 1, since a 1-3 loss to Toulouse on 12th May 2024.

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