Paris Saint-Germain turned a night that threatened to drift away into a controlled 3-1 Ligue 1 win over promoted Le Mans, with Luis Enrique’s established players changing the rhythm almost immediately after coming on. The result made it three league victories in a row, although another goal conceded underlined a familiar concern before Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Manchester.
Rotation leaves Paris short of control
Luis Enrique began the new phase of PSG’s season with one eye on Europe. The Champions League will feature three times across the next four weeks, and the coach rested Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes while initially leaving most of his regular core on the bench.
Marquinhos, Pacho, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué were all held back at kick-off. The altered side struggled to impose itself during an unusual first half in which PSG did not commit a single foul.
There were few clear openings. Lucas Beraldo gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot in the 19th minute, while Maghnes Akliouche saw a header saved after meeting a Lucas Digne cross shortly before the interval.
Mafouta equaliser sparks immediate response
Le Mans punished PSG’s lack of urgency nine minutes after the restart. Louis Mafouta’s effort was first ruled out for offside, only for VAR to overturn the decision and confirm the goal in the 54th minute. The visitors celebrated twice as the equaliser finally stood.
But Luis Enrique acted quickly. In the 57th minute, he introduced Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Zaïre-Emery across midfield, with Kvaratskhelia also entering the attack.
The impact was swift. Fabian Ruiz’s shot led to Kvaratskhelia forcing the ball home four minutes later, restoring PSG’s advantage. Akliouche then struck sharply at the near post in the 68th minute to put the contest beyond Le Mans.
The promoted side did clip the top of the crossbar late on, but Paris had the stronger chances to extend their lead. Nicolas Kocik denied Doué from the spot near the start of added time.
Winning run continues before Manchester test
The victory lifts PSG provisionally into fifth place and extends their current Ligue 1 winning sequence to three matches. Yet the clean-sheet issue remains: Paris have now allowed at least one goal in five of their six league fixtures.
For Luis Enrique and his squad, attention now turns quickly to Manchester, where their European campaign takes on greater weight on Wednesday at 21:00.
