Paris Saint-Germain got their Ligue 1 title defence off to a perfect start with a 1-0 victory away at LOSC Lille.
Any hopes Laurent Blanc’s side had of getting the new campaign off to a winning beginning were dealt a blow midway through the first half, when midfielder Adrien Rabiot was sent off.
The young French star—who was a surprise inclusion in PSG’s starting XI—was guilty of a bad foul, but can feel harshly done by after receiving a second booking soon afterwards, for what appeared to be a fairly insignificant attempt to impede Lille’s full-back Sebastien Corchia.
Before the dismissal, PSG had been at their rampant best, appearing to have barely missed a step after their outstanding treble-winning year last term.
They peppered Vincent Enyeama’s goal with chances, and were unfortunate not to have been ahead before the break. Javier Pastore and Lucas Moura—both players whose first-team places may be in danger following the arrival of the watching PSG new boy Angel Di Maria—were in particularly scintillating form, almost as if to remind Blanc of their qualities.
It was Moura who settled the contest, profiting from some quickfire passing in the heart of the park before beating Lille’s backline and firing calmly after rounding Enyeama.
The home side had opportunities to restore parity, but PSG steadily closed up shop—bringing on anchor man and new signing from Tottenham Hotspur, Benjamin Stambouli—to secure a hard-fought three points.
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