European Football: Vitinha Earns Opening-day Victory For Ligue 1 Champions Psg At Nantes

Paris St Germain began their Ligue 1 title defence pinch a hard-fought 1-0 triumph astatine Nantes connected Sunday acknowledgment to a second-half extremity from their Portugal midfielder Vitinha. Fresh from their Super Cup triumph complete Tottenham Hotspur successful a shootout connected Wednesday, PSG lacked their accustomed urgency successful beforehand of goal, going successful astatine half-time without having carved retired immoderate existent chances against a disciplined Nantes defence.

PSG yet collapsed nan deadlock erstwhile Vitinha’s onslaught from region successful nan 67th infinitesimal took a deflection disconnected Nantes defender Chidozie Awaziem and coiled into nan acold corner. Nantes past began to concede much abstraction and PSG thought they had doubled their lead minutes later done Gonçalo Ramos but nan striker’s effort was ruled retired for offside.

Paris FC’s first top-flight crippled successful 46 years ended successful a 1-0 conclusion astatine Angers, who took an early lead done Esteban Lepaul and held connected contempt being reduced to 10 men. Lepaul sprinted up of defender Timothée Kolodziejczak to scope Jordan Lefort’s agelong shot conscionable extracurricular nan container and scored pinch a calm right-foot decorativeness aft 9 minutes.

Angers midfielder Louis Mouton was sent disconnected for a precocious situation connected Kolodziejczak successful nan 57th infinitesimal and Paris FC, who dominated possession and had much than doubly arsenic galore shots arsenic their opponents, pressed difficult for an equaliser.

The hosts survived erstwhile Alimami Gory grounded to meet Ilan Kebbal’s transverse successful beforehand of goal, while a free-kick from conscionable extracurricular nan container was sent wide by guardant Mathieu Cafaro successful nan 90th minute, ending nan visitors’ hopes of salvaging a draw.

Fellow promoted broadside Metz besides mislaid 1-0 distant astatine Strasbourg arsenic Joaquín Panichelli scored late, Auxerre secured a 1-0 location triumph complete Lorient acknowledgment to Lassine Sinayoko’s onslaught and Lille mislaid a two-goal lead successful a 3-3 tie astatine Brest.

Olivier Giroud scored for Lille successful his first Ligue 1 crippled for 13 years arsenic they vanished pinch a 3-3 tie astatine Brest. Photograph: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images

Lille’s Olivier Giroud scored 11 minutes into his first Ligue 1 crippled since 2012 and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson made it 2-0 but Kamory Doumbia past scored doubly to level. Ngal’ayel Mukau sewage Lille’s 3rd but Julien Le Cardinal equalised.

In Germany, a first-round German Cup lucifer betwixt Schalke and hosts Lokomotiv Leipzig was suspended connected Sunday aft visiting winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei alleged group maltreatment from location fans.

The match, which vanished 1-0 to Schalke, was suspended for almost 5 minutes aft Antwi-Adjei informed nan referee he was racially abused by spectators. An announcement connected nan stadium PA was made condemning racist abuse. After nan lucifer resumed, nan winger was booed many times by nan location fans.

Speaking aft nan match, Antwi-Adjei said: “I don’t want to sanction nan words that were spoken. I’m not nan type of personification who goes location and cries, but I find it disappointing you still perceive this connected nan transportation these days. I signalled to nan linesman that thing had happened. It’s nan slightest I could do. I’m a normal person. This is not appropriate.”

Antwi-Adjei was calved successful Germany but has represented Ghana 3 times astatine world level. A spokesperson from Lokomotiv Leipzig said nan insults could not beryllium verified. “We person a personnel of unit sitting precisely wherever nan subordinate was standing. He didn’t perceive anything. The linesman astir apt didn’t perceive thing either,” nan spokesperson told Sky Germany.

Lokomotiv Leipzig person antecedently travel nether occurrence for protagonist groups pinch right-wing ideological links. In 2018, nan nine sacked 2 younker coaches for taking a image of a group of young players performing a Nazi salute.