Just like last season, Paris Saint-Germain opened its preseason campaign with a 2-0 victory over Pontivy. Christophe Jallet and Grégory Coupet both made their debuts in the famous red and blue colours.

The intimate Stade Champêtre de Sarzeau was packed to overflowing for the visit of the capital club. Without their names on the new shirts for the coming campaign, Les Parisiens brought the curtain down on their first week of training camp with the game against Pontivy, considered more like a special training session in the eyes of coach Antoine Kombouaré.

Ludovic Giuly launched the new campaign with a first Parisian goal on 21 minutes – ideally served up by captain Claude Makelele (1-0, 21’). Cheered on by a number of supporters holidaying in Brittany, Kombouaré’s men looked in fine form, including the youngsters Ngoyi and Sankharé.


Kombouaré decided to start each half with two different starting XIs – hoping to give his players the chance to find some rhythm after a tough week’s physical workout. The second-half provided Jallet with the chance to play with his new teammates for the first time and his first touch set up Boli to header home the second goal – his first since returning from a 12-month loan at Le Havre (2-0, 49’).

Hence, Paris began their series of preseason friendly games with a deserved victory after their first week of training. A win which also gave morale a further boost ahead of the second week’s training in camp and a second friendly, against Nantes, on Tuesday. But before then, a lot more training and hard work...

PSG: Coupet (Edel, 46’) - Ceara (Jallet, 46’), Traoré (Bourillon, 46’), Camara (Sakho, 46’), Makonda (Armand, 46’) - Giuly (Chantôme, 46’), Makelele (Clément, 46’), Sankharé (Baning, 46’), Ngoyi (Arnaud, 46’) - Maurice (Boli, 46’), Kezman (Luyindula, 46’).