Paris Saint-Germain began their Ligue 1 title defense with a 2-2 draw away to Rennes, with two goals from new signing Ferran Torres saving a point for Luis Enrique’s side.
The venue of the match was changed at short notice due to damage to the Stade de Champions following the hot weather this summer, and Rennes quickly capitalized on the switch, taking a two-goal lead before half-time at Roizon Park, thanks to Sebastian Szymanski and Esteban Leboul.
Torres, a World Cup hero for Spain this summer who signed for the French side from Barcelona this month, was brought on at half-time in an attempt to get something out of the tie.
Ultimately, his introduction paid off, with the striker scoring twice in 11 minutes to salvage a share of the spoils and avoid some opening day embarrassment.
Although the opening match was not at all convincing, the Parisians will be looking for a sixth consecutive league title, and what would be an impressive 13th domestic crown in 15 seasons.
Meanwhile, Lille, third in Ligue 1 last year, started their season in style with a 2-0 win over Angers, with veteran striker Olivier Giroud opening the scoring.
In the only other Ligue 1 match on Sunday, former Tottenham and England player Eric Dier scored the only goal of the match for Monaco in a 1-0 win over Le Havre.
Spanish League
Aside from Barcelona’s thumping win on the opening day, there was plenty of drama elsewhere in La Liga, specifically in the match between Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw after Diego Simeone’s men saved a point despite defender Robin Le Normand being sent off.
Giuliano Simeone equalized for his team after two penalty kicks from Gerard Moreno and George Mikautadze, putting Villarreal in the lead after Mark Poppel opened the score in the 59th minute for the hosts.
Simeone brought on striker Julian Alvarez as a substitute in the second half, amid boos from the home fans after the Argentine made clear his desire to leave the club this summer.
After the match, Alvarez was seen walking alone in the tunnel at the end, while his teammates thanked the Atletico fans.
In the other match, Getafe beat Racing Santander 1-0 thanks to a goal by former Bournemouth player Enes Unal.
Italian League A
In Serie A, there were victories for both Juventus and AC Milan, with two of the league’s heavyweights getting their domestic campaign off to a promising start.
Gleeson Bremer scored after 22 minutes for Juventus as they narrowly beat newly promoted Frosinone, while goals from 19-year-old Alvadjo Cisse and Adrien Rabiot in three second-half minutes gave Milan a 2-0 lead in their encounter with Torino.
Scotland international Che Adams halved the deficit in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late, as the Rossoneri clawed back all three points.
In other league matches, Lecce beat Venezia 2-0, while Atalanta beat Sassuolo 2-1.
