Paris Saint-Germain began their pursuit of a record fifth consecutive Ligue 1 crown with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
The opening fixture of the 2025/26 campaign was anything but straightforward for Luis Enrique’s side, who needed a second-half strike from Vitinha to grind out the three points.
For Nantes, the result continued a frustrating trend. The Canaries have now failed to win any of their last nine season openers, with four draws and five defeats. Having narrowly avoided relegation last term, Luís Castro’s men entered the new campaign with cautious optimism but were once again undone by PSG’s resilience.
The visitors arrived fresh from their UEFA Super Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur but were clearly feeling the effects of a demanding summer that also included a FIFA Club World Cup final loss. Softfootball reported that Enrique rotated heavily, leaving big names like Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Achraf Hakimi on the bench, while fringe players were handed a rare chance to impress.
Nantes started brightly, with Yassine Benhattab causing problems down the right flank and forcing debutant goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier into an early save. PSG, despite dominating possession, lacked sharpness in the final third. Gonçalo Ramos struck the crossbar midway through the first half, but the breakthrough did not come until after Enrique rang the changes.
On 67 minutes, Nuno Mendes combined neatly before setting up Vitinha, whose deflected long-range effort wrong-footed Anthony Lopes to put PSG ahead. Ramos thought he had doubled the advantage moments later, only for VAR to rule his effort offside following a clever pass from Désiré Doué.
PSG uploaded a post of the French champions savouring the moment with their fans who travelled to watch the game with them. The post was made on the club’s official X account.
Watch the video below:
Though not a vintage display, PSG’s quality shone when it mattered. The win stretched their unbeaten run against Nantes to eight matches (six wins, two draws) and gave new coach Castro a losing start in Ligue 1. For Enrique, it was less about style and more about substance, three points to launch the champions’ latest title defence.
