Ferran Torres scored twice on his Paris St Germain debut as the French champions fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Stade Rennais in their Ligue 1 opener on Sunday.
Rennes stunned PSG with two first-half goals. Sebastian Szymanski opened the scoring inside nine minutes before Esteban Lepaul doubled the lead seven minutes before half-time.
PSG looked vulnerable early on. Rennes pressed aggressively and punished gaps in the visitors’ defence.
Szymanski set the tone when his effort struck the post before finding the net. PSG thought they had an immediate response through Desire Doue, but the officials ruled out his effort for offside.
Rennes then doubled their advantage through Lepaul. Przemyslaw Frankowski found space on the right and sent a low cross into the box. Lepaul turned it into the net to give the hosts a commanding half-time lead.
PSG changed the game after the interval. They pushed higher, kept Rennes pinned back and created a series of chances.
Torres finally gave them a way back with 19 minutes remaining.
The Spanish forward timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap before collecting Fabian Ruiz’s pass. He kept his composure and fired past the goalkeeper for his first PSG goal since moving from Barcelona.
Rennes could not withstand the pressure.
Torres completed his comeback in the 83rd minute. Ruiz again supplied the final pass, this time crossing from the left for Torres to finish and level the score.
The late double turned a poor PSG performance into a point, although the visitors could not find a winner before the final whistle.
Torres’ debut therefore ended with two goals and a crucial rescue act, while Ruiz provided both assists as PSG recovered from a two-goal deficit.
Rennes will regret allowing their commanding position to disappear after such a strong first half. PSG, meanwhile, leave with a point but plenty to improve after a shaky start to their title defence.
