Ferran Torres gives Luis Enrique first Ligue 1 win as Paris Saint-Germain edge Brest

Paris Saint-Germain secured their first Ligue 1 victory of the season with a 1-0 win at Brest, as Ferran Torres’ early goal settled a hard-fought match at the Stade Francis-Le Ble.

The game was also played in tribute to Eric Roy, who died during the summer, adding particular significance to the occasion.

Paris Saint-Germain arrived in confident mood after their 6-1 European victory over Slovan Bratislava. Luis Enrique made a change to his attacking line-up, using Torres as the central striker alongside Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The visitors needed only five minutes to take the lead. A move built around a series of quick passes, led by Joao Neves, ended with Dembele using his heel to release Torres. The Spain forward then struck from about 20 metres to put Paris Saint-Germain in front.

The visitors pressed for a second, but Brest goalkeeper Selvik denied attempts from Dembele and Kvaratskhelia. He produced another excellent save in the 23rd minute to keep out a curling effort from the Georgia international.

Brest gradually looked more threatening before the interval. Mboup came close when his shot changed direction, but Matvey Safonov reacted well to keep it out. Paris Saint-Germain then suffered a setback in the 39th minute when Achraf Hakimi went off injured.

Safonov stands firm

Brest started the second half strongly and almost levelled in the 50th minute. A promising attack ended with Doumbia hitting the post behind Safonov, as the pressure on the Paris defence increased.

Two minutes later, Brest thought they had equalised when Loco found the net, but the referee disallowed the goal for a foul by Warren Zaire-Emery.

Safonov was called into action again in the 57th minute, making an impressive save to stop a powerful header from Doumbia.

Paris Saint-Germain continued to search for a second goal, but Selvik remained difficult to beat. He saved Joao Neves’ header in the 69th minute and then made another fine intervention at the far post just two minutes later.

The introduction of Desire Doue and Maghnes Akliouche helped Paris improve during the final 15 minutes, although Brest remained the more troublesome side as the match entered its closing stages.

Mboup had another chance to equalise in the 88th minute, but Safonov again protected his side’s lead with a crucial save.

Paris Saint-Germain held on until the final whistle to claim their first Ligue 1 win of the campaign. Their performance was not entirely convincing, while Brest suffered their first defeat of the season after a strong display in a match held to honour Eric Roy’s memory.