Ligue 1 Matchday 1 Roundup: Ferran saves PSG at Rennes as Marseille & Lens blow rivals away

Bruno Génésio could not have asked for a better competitive debut on the Marseille bench. OM produced a dominant second-half display at the Stade Vélodrome. Amine Gouiri opened the scoring right out of the break in the 46th minute, but the match completely unraveled for Strasbourg in the 59th minute when midfielder Samir El Mourabet picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge on Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

Capitalising on the extra space against ten men, Gouiri doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after a handball in the box. Substitute Keyliane Abdallah tapped home a low cross in the 89th minute, and Højbjerg capped off the 4–0 thrashing with a long-range strike in stoppage time (90+6') to send OM top of the Ligue 1 table on goal difference.

Dino Toppmöller’s Lens side put on an attacking masterclass at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in a seven-goal thriller. Florian Thauvin opened the scoring with a 12th-minute penalty, but the key moment arrived in the 35th minute when Auxerre defender Christ Makosso was shown a straight red card for a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) after bringing down Franjo Ivanović outside the box.

Lens tore through Auxerre's backline after the restart, adding goals from Ivanović (49'), Saud Abdulhamid (54'), and Ismaëlo Ganiou (66'). Auxerre fought back through a Danny Namaso penalty (61') and a Lamine Sy strike (69'), but Thauvin buried another penalty in the 88th minute to seal his brace and a 5–2 win.

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain dropped points on opening night after having to fight back from a two-goal deficit at Roazhon Park. Rennes stunned the visitors early as Sebastian Szymański unleashed a 25-yard rocket into the top corner in the 8th minute, before Estéban Lepaul doubled the lead in the 37th minute by finishing off a swift counter-attack.

Luis Enrique introduced Ferran Torres at the break, and the Spanish forward turned saviour - first converting a low cross in the 70th minute, then heading home an 81st-minute corner to salvage a hard-fought 2–2 draw.

Lyon kicked off their season with a clinical away performance at the Stadium de Toulouse. Following a physical, defensive opening hour, OL broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when substitute Pavel Šulc whipped in a low cross for Noah Nartey to turn home from close range.

Malick Fofana then put the match beyond reach in the 85th minute, finishing off a slick passing sequence orchestrated by Corentin Tolisso to ensure a 2–0 win and an away clean sheet.

Lille picked up a comfortable three points away at the Stade Raymond Kopa. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud marked his league return with an opening goal in the 10th minute, leaping highest to head home a corner.

Angers struggled to break through Lille's structured defence, and defender Tiago Santos doubled the advantage in the 30th minute with a deflected strike from the edge of the penalty area to secure a professional 2–0 victory.

Monaco ground out a narrow 1–0 victory away at the Stade CMA CGM Océane under new manager Filipe Luís. The decisive goal came early in the 13th minute, when defender Eric Dier outjumped his marker to power home a header from a corner kick.

Le Havre launched a heavy aerial assault late in the second half seeking an equaliser, but Monaco's backline held firm through five yellow cards to preserve the clean sheet.

Promoted side Le Mans FC celebrated their top-flight return with an entertaining 2–2 draw against Stade Brestois 29 at the Stade Marie-Marvingt.

Romain Del Castillo gave Brest the lead half an hour in with a curling effort, but Dame Guèye levelled for Le Mans in first-half stoppage time (45+1'). Louis Mafouta then put the hosts ahead in the 54th minute by finishing off a rebound, only for Kamory Doumbia to bring Brest back level seven minutes later (61') with a low drive to split the points.

Tactical discipline took centre stage at the Allianz Riviera as Nice and Lorient battled to a scoreless draw. Nice held over 60% of the ball, but Lorient's organised 5-4-1 low block proved tough to break down.

Nice winger Jérémie Boga came closest to winning it when his 76th-minute shot crashed off the crossbar, leaving both teams with a point.

It was a tight, defensive battle at the Stade de l'Aube as Troyes and Paris FC played out a goalless draw. Clear-cut chances were scarce as both sides combined for just three shots on target all match.

Paris FC thought they had snatched a late winner when Jean-Philippe Krasso headed towards goal in the 84th minute, but a goal-line clearance preserved the 0–0 scoreline.