Paris, Aug 18: Vitinha broke the deadlock with the aid of a lucky deflection as Paris Saint-Germain began its Ligue 1 title defense with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Nantes.
Champions League winner PSG looked short of ideas, just as it had for long spells against Europa League champion Tottenham during the UEFA Super Cup final on Wednesday.
Portugal midfielder Vitinha collected the ball about 20 meters 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, which was again without goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Italy No. 1 wants to leave PSG after it bought Lucas Chevalier from Lille and has been linked with a move to Manchester City. PSG A scrappy first half saw little creativity, and neither Chevalier or 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, which looked much sharper when he came on. (AP)
