Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the reigning Ligue 1 champions, commenced their title defense with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Nantes on Sunday. The match, played at the Stade de la Beaujoire, saw PSG struggle to break down a resilient Nantes defense until Vitinha's deflected strike in the second half secured the win.

The winning goal came in the 67th minute when Portuguese midfielder Vitinha fired a shot from outside the box. The ball took a deflection off Nantes defender Chidozie Awaziem, wrong-footing goalkeeper Anthony Lopes and finding the back of the net. Despite PSG's dominance in possession, Nantes proved to be a tough opponent, restricting the champions to just four shots on target.

PSG's coach, Luis Enrique, made several changes to the starting lineup following their UEFA Super Cup win against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. This rotation tested the squad's depth and stability. Notably, Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi made his debut for PSG after arriving from Bournemouth. Lucas Chevalier also started, taking over from Gianluigi Donnarumma as the first-choice goalkeeper. Key players like Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia started on the bench.

Nantes, under the guidance of their new coach Luis Castro, displayed a strong defensive performance. They limited PSG to 1.33 expected goals, a testament to their resilience. However, they lacked attacking threat, failing to register a single shot on target.

The victory extends PSG's impressive run of scoring against Nantes in Ligue 1 to 29 consecutive meetings, dating back to 2006. It also marks PSG's 41st straight Ligue 1 away game with only one defeat. Despite the narrow win, PSG's performance highlighted their squad depth and reaffirmed their position as favorites to retain the Ligue 1 title.

Other notable events in Ligue 1 saw veteran striker Olivier Giroud score on his return to the league for his new side Lille, though they drew 3-3 with Brest.