PSG defeat Le Havre 2-0, kick off pre-season with a victory
Luis Enrique's debut as PSG's manager proved successful as the reigning Ligue 1 champions secured a 2-0 victory against Ligue 2 champions Le Havre in their first pre-season friendly played at the PSG Campus on Friday afternoon.
The players were organized in Luis Enrique's classic 4-3-3 system and it featured eight of the new arrivals at Paris throughout the 90 minutes of playing time.
Lucas Hernandez, Manuel Ugarte, Lee, and Marco Asensio made the starting XI, while Kylian Mbappe began on the bench and came off the pine to score the final 2-0 in the dying minutes.
However, it wasn't all great news as Lee had to be substituted due to a potential injury just before halftime, bringing some concerns to the PSG coaching staff.
As expected, a rusty PSG dominated the matchup but they struggled to create clear chances against a resilient Le Havre side playing the most hyped-up game of their season (no, seriously).
No Kylian Mbappe through 90 minutes, no problem for Paris Saint-Germain
The breakthrough came in the 53rd minute when Hugo Ekitike scored the opening goal. Though Le Havre had a few attempts, Keylor Navas made an important save to maintain PSG's lead. Navas started on the Parisian goal following the news of a burglary taking place in GK1 Gigio Donnarumma's home, forcing him to miss this outing.
As the match progressed, Luis Enrique made ten changes in the second half, providing opportunities for various players including the departing Kylian Mbappe. The French forward scored, perhaps, his last goal for PSG in the 92nd minute after an assist from his brother Ethan.
PSG (without Kylian Mbappe onboarding) are now heading to Japan for their summer tour where they aim to start a new era empty of egocentric superstars. Their next match is scheduled against Al Nassr on Tuesday, July 25, on Asian soil.