Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Matchweek 2, 28/08/2026
Davide Ancelotti’s Lille OSC were only moments away from claiming a major scalp, but their 2-0 advantage was wiped out as Paris Saint-Germain fought back to earn a draw.
Lille could hardly have wished for a better opening. Hákon Arnar Haraldsson blasted in the first goal into the top-right corner in the 21st minute after an assist from Olivier Giroud. In truth, the goal had been on the cards, with Lille pressing PSG aggressively, troubling them with remarkable speed in transition and creating clear openings.
PSG, naturally, still fashioned chances of their own. With the quality they possess on the pitch, opportunities are always likely to come. Achraf Hakimi had the chance to roll the ball into an empty net early in the game, but got it wrong and sent his effort wide. Ferran Torres, meanwhile, had three close-range chances that he really should have converted.
At the interval, Luis Enrique made what is now becoming a familiar substitution, with Désiré Doué taken off and replaced by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Once Kvaratskhelia came on, PSG’s attacking threat looked more evenly distributed.
The second half saw Lille drop deeper into their own half and press far less intensely than they had before the break. Instead, they looked to conserve energy and defended in a low block while PSG controlled possession and steadily increased the pressure.
Against the run of play, Giroud had a very good chance to make it 2-0 when he rose to meet a cross from Tiago Santos, but directed his header straight down into the turf and the bounce carried it over the bar.
With six minutes remaining, substitute Dilane Bakwa gave Lille the breathing space they had been desperately seeking with a statement goal on his debut. The winger, on loan from Nottingham Forest, created a yard of space from Lucas Digne and curled his shot into the top-left corner.
PSG pulled one back in injury time through a stunning strike from Vitinha, which sparked one final desperate attempt to salvage something. And, just as they had done last weekend, Paris Saint-Germain came back from two goals down to avoid embarrassment, with Marquinhos heading home with the final touch of the match.
Berke Özer, 5
Romain Perraud, 3
Alexsandro, 5
Nathan Ngoy, 5
Tiago Santos, 7
Benjamin André, 6
The captain returned to the starting line-up after missing the opener through suspension. He turned in a solid display and, as usual, was a disruptive presence defensively. However, once he was booked, Davide Ancelotti could not afford to leave him on the pitch.
Nabil Bentaleb, 7
Félix Correia, 6
Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, 8
Just as he did against Angers, Haraldsson set the tone for the side with his relentless work rate. It is only two matches into the season, but it already feels as though this could be the campaign Lille have been waiting for since his arrival in France. He capped it with an excellent goal.
Ethan Mbappé, 7
He clearly relishes facing his former side and looked thoroughly up for the contest. His smoothness and movement are such an asset for Davide Ancelotti.
Olivier Giroud, 7
Matvey Safonov, 6
The goalkeeper produced a good display and kept Lille at bay for much of the match.
Warren Zaïre-Emery, 4
Willian Pacho, 4
Marquinhos, 6
Hakimi, 4
Fabián Ruiz, 4
Lucas Beraldo, 4
Vitinha, 6
Désiré Doué, 3
A deeply disappointing outing from the winger. He was entirely uninvolved and was quickly withdrawn. He was replaced at half-time by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (4).
Ferran Torres, 4
He had been the match-winner last weekend, rescuing the result, but this time he was nowhere near that level. He kept finding the right positions, but his finishing let him down badly… he could have, and should have, scored a hat-trick.
Maghnes Akliouche, 4
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