Ferran Torres came off the bench to score twice in the second half as Paris Saint-Germain recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Stade Rennais in an eventful opening-day Ligue 1 match.
Stade Rennais appeared to be heading for victory after taking a commanding lead before half-time, but Torres changed the course of the contest within 12 minutes. His goals denied the hosts a major result and rescued Luis Enrique’s side from a defeat that had looked increasingly likely.
The match, which brought the opening round of the French league season to a close, began at a high tempo. Stade Rennais made the most of an early counter-attack in the 10th minute when Sebastian Szymanski received a pass from Adrien Thomasson on the edge of the Paris Saint-Germain penalty area.
Szymanski created space for a powerful effort which flew into the bottom-left corner of Matvey Safonov’s goal after clipping the post on its way in. The strike gave the home side an early advantage and rewarded their aggressive start.
Paris Saint-Germain attempted to respond immediately, but Stade Rennais defended firmly and were supported by an outstanding display from goalkeeper Brice Samba. He made a series of important saves as the visitors searched for an equaliser, while Luis Enrique’s players were also guilty of failing to convert several promising chances.
Those missed opportunities proved costly in the 38th minute. Frankowski advanced down the left before delivering a cross into the area, where Esteban Lepaul met the ball from close range and turned it into the Paris Saint-Germain net.
The second half began with Luis Enrique making two changes in an effort to prevent his team from slipping further behind. Mika Godts and Ferran Torres were introduced in place of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.
Torres quickly justified his manager’s decision. In the 71st minute, Fabian Ruiz played a pass through to the Spanish forward inside the penalty area. Torres controlled the opportunity before firing beyond Samba to reduce the deficit and give Paris Saint-Germain renewed belief.
The comeback was completed 12 minutes later. Ruiz again provided the decisive delivery, sending a cross from the left towards the far post. Torres rose above the defence and directed a header into the net, bringing the score level and completing his personal double.
Stade Rennais refused to settle for a point and pushed forward in search of a winner during the closing stages. Ludovic Blas came close to restoring the hosts’ lead when his header appeared destined for the net, only for William Pacho to clear it off the line.
Blas had another opportunity late on, but his final effort went narrowly wide of the post as Paris Saint-Germain survived the remaining pressure.
The result leaves both sides with one point from their opening Ligue 1 fixture. For Paris Saint-Germain, however, the night belonged to Torres, whose introduction at half-time transformed the match and prevented a defeat that had been looming for most of the evening.
