Torres, the hero of the Paris night: he came on with the score at 2-0 and turned everything around in 12 minutes
A deal paying off quickly
Ferran Torres rescued Paris Saint-Germain from a defeat that had looked inevitable. The Spain forward struck twice in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw at Stade Rennais, capping a thrilling swing of a match in which the hosts had led by two goals until the closing stages.
The clash brought the opening round of the French league to a close. Rennes surged two goals clear in the first half through Sebastian Szymanski in the 10th minute and Esteban Lepaul in the 38th, before Torres's brilliance turned the tie on its head after the break.
Rennes came flying out of the blocks and made a counter-attack count. Szymanski collected a pass from Adrien Truffert on the edge of the box, then unleashed a fierce strike that nestled in the left corner of Matvey Safonov's goal with the aid of the post.
PSG tried to hit back quickly but ran into a resolute Rennes defence and a commanding display from goalkeeper Brice Samba, who kept out a string of dangerous efforts. Luis Enrique's players wasted more than one opportunity to drag their side back into the game.
Rennes punished those misses with a second in the 38th minute. Frankowski broke down the left flank and clipped a cross to Lepaul, who turned it into the PSG net from close range.
At the interval, Luis Enrique made his move. On came Mika Godts and Ferran Torres for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele, a double change designed to rescue the visitors.
Torres justified his coach's faith. He halved the deficit in the 71st minute, taking a through ball from Fabian Ruiz inside the area before firing past Samba to breathe life into the comeback.
The Spanish striker was not finished. He struck again in the 83rd minute to complete the turnaround, rising to meet a Fabian Ruiz cross from the left towards the far post and heading home to seal the draw and his brace.
Rennes went hunting for a winner in the dying minutes. Ludovic Blas almost restored the lead, only for Willian Pacho to clear his header off the line, and Blas's final shot flashed wide of the post.
Both sides took a point from their opening game of the French league campaign. Torres stole the show, transformed from a half-time substitute into the man who spared PSG a defeat that had loomed large.
