Paris Saint-Germain commenced their title defense in Ligue 1 with a decisive 4-1 victory over Le Havre on Friday, marking their first competitive match since the departure of star player Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid. Lee Kang-in opened the scoring for PSG just three minutes into the match in Normandy, but Gautier Lloris quickly equalized. However, late goals from Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and a penalty from Randal Kolo Muani ensured a comfortable win for the reigning champions.
Luis Enrique’s squad demonstrated their depth, with substitutes playing a crucial role in the outcome, overpowering a Le Havre team that narrowly escaped relegation last season. “It is the first game back and it’s a very good start,” remarked PSG’s Spanish manager. The French international trio of Kolo Muani, Dembele, and Barcola began the match on the bench, while Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves made his debut at halftime after transferring from Benfica for a potential fee of 69.9 million euros ($76.7 million) including bonuses.
Le Havre might reflect on what could have been had a goal from Josue Casimir, which would have given them the lead early in the second half, not been disallowed by VAR due to a handball. “We experienced both highs and lows, but the substitutes significantly contributed to our performance,” Luis Enrique noted. “The final score does not fully reflect the areas needing improvement. We conceded too many easy balls, and had we fallen behind 2-1, it could have altered the match’s dynamics.”
PSG has yet to make any significant signings to fill the substantial gap left by Mbappe, who transferred to Madrid in June after netting 44 goals last season and setting a club record with 256 goals over his seven-year tenure. It remains uncertain whether Luis Enrique’s squad can replicate last season’s success, during which they claimed all domestic titles and reached the Champions League semi-finals. The Spanish coach was missing several key players for this match, with left-back Nuno Mendes serving a suspension and Fabian Ruiz still unfit to return after his participation in Spain’s Euro 202.
