First Victory for Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champion and European titleholders, finally secured their first win of the new Ligue 1 season, beating hosts Brest 1-0 on Tuesday in Matchday 4, though they failed to impress. The team, managed by Spanish coach Luis Enrique, began their title defense with a 2-2 draw against Rennes and another 2-2 draw against Lille, before suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Monaco. However, the convincing 6-1 victory over Slovakian visitors Slovan Bratislava midweek in the early stages of their continental title defense appears to have provided the psychological boost needed to secure their first league win and set them up in the best possible position for Sunday’s tough away test against rivals Marseille.

PSG were the better side in the first half and deservedly took the lead through a early goal scored by new signing and World Cup-winning Spanish forward Ferran Torres in the fifth minute, firing from outside the box after an assist from Ousmane Dembélé following a fine team move. PSG then lost the efforts of their Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi due to injury, with Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz (39) replacing him.

Lens, runners-up in last season’s title race, avoided defeat at home to returning side Lorient, salvaging a 2-2 draw. Meanwhile, Lille, last season’s third-placed team, continued their strong start to the new campaign with a third win in four matches without defeat, beating visitors Troyes 2-0. With that result, Lille topped the table with 10 points from four games, ahead of Monaco and Rennes on goal difference, after Monaco’s 1-0 win over Marseille on Friday and Rennes’ 1-1 draw with hosts Strasbourg on Saturday.