Vitinha opens Ligue 1 campaign with PSG winner and MVP award: “Lucky, but deserved” [video] | OneFootball

Nantes 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain

Portugal midfielder Vitinha began the new Ligue 1 season the same way he played much of the last, with yet another MVP award after scoring the winner for Paris Saint-Germain in a 1-0 victory at Nantes on Sunday evening.

PSG were far from their best at the Stade de la Beaujoire, where they were held for three quarters of the encounter by Nantes, coached by Luís Castro on his league debut on the bench, but Vitinha’s deflected goal on 67 minutes proved the difference.

Vitinha was joined in the PSG line-up by Super Cup hero Gonçalo Ramos, who was rewarded for his role in defeating Tottenham Hotspur in midweek with a start. Nuno Mendes was rested to the bench, while Joao Neves continued to serve a suspension for his red card during the Club World Cup final in the summer.

The winning goal, scored by Vitinha with the aid of a deflection after a pass by Nuno Mendes, settled a tough encounter during which PSG dominated the ball but struggled to find a path to goal. Speaking after the final whistle, Vitinha admitted the team are still working their way towards their best after the Club World Cup.

“My performance? The most important thing is the team,” said the former Porto man. “The goal, a bit by chance, but it was deserved. So if it didn’t happen then, I’m sure it will happen later. I’m happy that I can score, that I can help the team. And that’s it.

“I think we can even say that we’re continuing our preparation. We’re preparing because this match is difficult to play, we don’t even have two weeks of training. With the victory, it’s even better. A good match from our team, a good dynamic too. Of course, there are things missing, but that’s normal. So we’re not going to worry, but it’s good, the victory, the whole team. The substitutions went very well.”

We deserved a draw – Castro

Meanwhile, Nantes boss Luís Castro, who arrived at the club over the summer from second-tier side Dunkerque, gave his thoughts on the opening-day defeat. The hosts, who had veteran Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes in the line-up, are set for a relegation battle this season after modest additions and significant departures this close-season.

“We can do better, we defended well, Paris didn’t really create any big chances,” Castro said. “Even on goal, in the end, the shot was deflected. They didn’t have any clear chances. Defensively, I think it’s good, but offensively, we have to do better. When we get to the last 30 metres, we have to be able to offer something different. But overall, we played a coherent match and we deserved to draw.

“It was the first match in Ligue 1 for many players. We still need time, to gain some composure. The technical errors you’re talking about will become rarer over time. And it must also be said that the team we faced was very strong.

“It’s clear that [our play style] depends on the opposition. In the opposing half, we have the ambition to press very high up the pitch, to keep the ball too. But against a team with so much individual quality, it forces you to defend deeper. In every match, there will be an opponent who will try to impose their style and break ours. Paris, too, will have matches with more goal-scoring opportunities than today.

“We’re clearly still evolving. We need time to do good things. I also remind you that many players arrived during the summer, many of those who started today jumped on the bandwagon. And then we mustn’t forget that the way of playing is different from last season. With time, it will get better.

“The supporters could see that the players gave 100%.”