PSG begin Ligue 1 title defence with a scrappy win

PARIS (AP):

Vitinha broke the deadlock with the aid of a lucky deflection as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) began their Ligue 1 title defence with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Nantes yesterday.

Champions League winners PSG looked short of ideas, just as they had for long spells against Europa League champions Tottenham during the UEFA Super Cup final on Wednesday.

Portugal midfielder Vitinha collected the ball about 20 metres out and his strike clipped defender Chidozie Awaziem as he tried to duck under the ball, before wrong-footing goalkeeper Anthony Lopes in the 67th minute.

That proved enough for coach Luis Enrique’s side, who were again without goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italy No. 1 wants to leave PSG after they bought Lucas Chevalier from Lille and has been linked with a move to Manchester City.

A scrappy first half saw little creativity, and neither Chevalier nor Lopes had much to do.

Nantes coach Luis Castro may regret leaving his best striker Matthis Abline on the bench until the 60th minute. Abline is pursuing a move away from Nantes, who looked much sharper when he came on.

Veteran striker Olivier Giroud took only 11 minutes to score on his return to Ligue 1, but it was not enough as his new side Lille drew 3-3 at Brest.

Giroud was picked out by Felix Correia’s clever pass behind the defence and finished with a left-footed shot under the goalkeeper. The 38-year-old Giroud became Lille’s oldest scorer in Ligue 1 and he lasted the whole game.

“It was a special moment for me and I’m happy to be back in Ligue 1,” Giroud told broadcaster DAZN. “The coach asked me several times how I was feeling and I said I wanted to play until the end.”

Midfielder Hakon Arnar Haraldsson made it 2-0 before Kamory Doumbia scored twice to level the match. Lille regained the lead midway through the second half when Ngal’ayel Mukau scored following a corner, but Julien Le Cardinal equalised.