Luis Enrique substitutes Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia at half-time; Ferran Torres rescues PSG against Rennes

PSG avoided disaster on Sunday in their opening Ligue 1 match of the season, earning a 2-2 draw against Stade Rennais thanks to a brace from Ferran Torres, who came on at half-time replacing Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The Parisians had struggled in the first half. Sebastian Szymanski opened the scoring in the 9th minute, before Esteban Lepaul doubled the lead shortly after the half-hour mark. At the break, the defending French champions found themselves two goals down at home.

Luis Enrique then made a radical decision: withdraw his two attacking stars, deemed below their usual level, to bring on summer signings Ferran Torres and Mika Godts. The Spaniard delivered, scoring twice to allow PSG to level at 2-2.

“It’s football. Paris Saint-Germain has won nothing, nothing. If you think about what you’ve won, you won’t win anything! There is no credit,” the Paris coach justified after the match. “You must show every day, every match, every training session, that you are ready. Otherwise it’s easy to rest and slip. We seek to win all the time and to win all the time, you must step out of your comfort zone.”

The decision drew admiration from observers. Analyst Walid Acherchour praised “incredible management from Luis Enrique,” noting that the Spanish tactician had dared to substitute “the Ballon d’Or winner and perhaps the future Ballon d’Or winner” at half-time of a match where his team was already under pressure. For Acherchour, Luis Enrique’s message is clear: “what matters most is not the result, but showing that you will respect everyone and that if you are not at your best level, you come off.”

Despite the point earned, PSG depart with questions about their defensive solidity and the consistency of their attacking leaders, from the very first match of a season that promises to be demanding.