Lille’s results under Carlo’s son in Ligue 1 are encouraging but they have been exposed in the Champions League

By Get French Football News

In a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, two aspiring young managers sit around a table. Their respective clubs, Flamengo and Botafogo, are fierce rivals on the pitch. The relationship between the managers of the two clubs, Filipe Luís and Davide Ancelotti, however, is significantly more cordial.

Speaking before his first meeting with Ancelotti in Ligue 1 on Sunday, the Monaco manager, Filipe Luís, described his counterpart at Lille as a “really formidable person”. The Brazilian added: “It is something special for us. It will be a pleasure to face my friend.”

Young centre-back could not see a way forward at Leeds so moved to France. Now he’s preparing for the biggest game of his life against Juventus

By Get French Football News

“Leaving England is such a scary, scary decision,” says Charlie Cresswell. It is a decision that he never thought he would make. His father, Richard, made a career as a footballer in England; his brother, Alfie, was coming through Leeds’s academy; Charlie was on the fringes of the Leeds first team when the opportunity to join Toulouse arose in 2024.

“That was the biggest decision I made in football,” he says. “I’ve been a Leeds fan since I was eight. I’d been at the club since I was 10, but, looking back, I was 20 years old with no games and I needed to get out and go play,” says Cresswell, now at Rennes and preparing to face Juventus in the Europa League.

• Five teams level on points after Monaco lose to Lorient

• Real Madrid ease past Sevilla with Mbappé double

Ten-man Lyon held on for a 2-1 comeback victory over Nice to move top of Ligue 1 on Sunday, as previous pacesetters Monaco lost for the first time this season. Five teams are level on 14 points at the top of the table with Lyon heading Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC, Lille and Monaco on goal difference.

It was a close run affair for Lyon, playing in front of local boy and French cycling prodigy Paul Seixas, following Keito Nakamura’s dismissal 20 minutes from time.

• Lamine Yamal opens scoring in ninth straight win

• Luis Díaz hat-trick helps Bayern thump RB Leipzig 6-1

Barcelona’s La Liga juggernaut rolled into Seville on Saturday and left with the scoreboard smoking, as the leaders beat Real Betis 5-2 to make it ⁠nine wins from nine, ⁠stretching their blistering league ​goal tally to 39.

Lamine Yamal lit the fuse with a dazzling opener before Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric García and the substitute Dani Olmo joined the party, while Valentín Gómez and Ez Abde replied ⁠for Betis, who played much of the second half with 10 men after Facundo Bernal was sent off for head-butting Lamine Yamal.

Luis Enrique wants to rest his stars for the Champions League but they keep having to dig out the team in Ligue 1

By Get French Football News

Luis Enrique said it was “typical” that Paris Saint-Germain only managed to see off promoted Le Mans after his four changes around the hour mark. But it is also worrying and borderline damning.

Ligue 1 has felt like a side quest for PSG in recent years. Not only have the club succeeded in rearranging league games to aid their Champions League campaign, but their stars rarely feature in the domestic league. Ousmane Dembélé started just 12 Ligue 1 games last season, but that didn’t prevent him winning – contentiously – the player of the season award. He was not on the teamsheet on Saturday night when PSG hosted Le Mans, nor was Nuno Mendes. Both were rested. It’s only mid-October, but it is already clear where PSG’s focus lies.

From veteran strikers to exciting young talents, here are 10 signings who could prove to be bargains for their new teams

Even in this era of relentless transfer inflation, a fee of more than £20m does not usually represent a bargain. Roma’s move for the Porto playmaker Mora may be an exception, though. Now 19, he has been on the radar of Europe’s elite teams since starring for Porto’s B-team at 15, and Porto were braced for his €70m (£59.5m) release clause to be met in the summer of 2025. That didn’t happen and Mora then fell out of favour under the new head coach, Francesco Farioli. Roma swooped with an offer of €25m (£21.4m), plus a 50% sell-on fee which can be bought out. The potential move also intrigued Mora, who was eager to play under Gian Piero Gasperini. “He played a big part in my decision to come here because he likes players with my qualities, and I’m a fan of the way he wants his teams to play,” Mora said. The early signs are positive, with Mora netting his first Roma goal against Lecce as the Giallorossi made a flying start in Serie A.

Lens finished second in Ligue 1 last season and won the Coupe de France. Building on that success is proving tricky

By Get French Football News

It was under cover of darkness that Yannick Cahuzac took his place in the Lens dugout at the Stade Louis II on Friday night. The lights dimmed as the players made their entrance and Cahuzac, who had been named interim manager just three days earlier, sat alone, leaning forward on a seat that Dino Toppmöller would have occupied if not for a dramatic turn of events last week.

Cahuzac’s appointment, much like his entrance in Monaco, had a stealthy quality, as if he had always been there and the switching of the lights was mere confirmation of his presence. Cahuzac left Lorient, where he had been Olivier Pantaloni’s assistant, at the end of last season to return to Lens, where he had finished his playing career before working as Franck Haise’s assistant in the 2022–23 campaign.

• English manager responds after Paris FC’s win

• Martínez rescues Inter; Salah hits hat-trick

Paris FC extended their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 campaign, beating Liam Rosenior’s old charges Strasbourg 2-1 in a match marred by abusive chants towards the Englishman from visiting fans.

The game was halted in the second half as Rosenior was targeted by his former supporters. There were also ugly scenes after the final whistle as Rosenior motioned to remonstrate with the away fans and had to be pulled away by his players.

Ferran Torres has been brilliant for his new club with most of his new teammates floundering for form

By Get French Football News

It was just a flicker. Ferran Torres picks the ball up and passes it to João Neves. The Portugal midfielder plays it into Ousmane Dembélé, who has lured in Raphaël Le Guen and eliminates him with a mesmeric first-time back-heel into the path of Torres.

The Brest defence are just cones in a training drill, mere extras in this work of art as the Spaniard glides back into the scene to pass the ball into Egil Selvik’s bottom-left corner from 25 yards; it happened in slow motion, but was too quick for the Norwegian goalkeeper to react.

• Elversberg 1-2 Bayern; Sassuolo 3-2 Juventus

• Barcelona see off Levante, PSG end winless run

Harry Kane scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season to help Bayern Munich edge to a 2-1 win at promoted Elversberg on Sunday. Handed the captain’s armband with skipper Manuel Neuer rested, Kane scored with 18 minutes remaining to break a 1-1 deadlock and put the defending champions on track for victory.

Bayern had taken the lead through teenage Germany winger Lennart Karl, but Elversberg – who had won their opening two matches in their maiden top-flight campaign – levelled things up just after the hour mark thanks to a stunning curling effort from Maurice Krattenmacher.

You might think Monaco have plenty to cheer about, especially after their 2-1 win at PSG, but it’s complicated

By Get French Football News

When a manager says that “no player is more important than the club”, it is usually because said player is agitating for a move. Filipe Luís was referring to Folarin Balogun, who did quite the opposite on transfer deadline day, opting to stay at Monaco rather than joining Everton, despite an agreement between the clubs.

You’d think that retaining your top scorer from last season would be reason for celebration, but the fact it is not once again exposes the French football paradox. Like plenty of other clubs in Ligue 1, Monaco are torn between sporting and financial prerogatives. They ended up prioritising the former on transfer deadline day, albeit unwillingly, and even in a week when they beat PSG at the Parc des Princes to retain their 100% record, it is bittersweet.

• Mbappé sees late penalty saved by Valles

• PSG are beaten by league leaders Monaco

Real Madrid’s perfect start in La Liga ⁠ended on Friday when Real Betis beat them 1-0, with the ⁠substitute Troy Parrott ⁠scoring ​nine minutes from time and goalkeeper Álvaro Valles saving a stoppage-time ⁠penalty from Kylian Mbappé.

The clash began at a high tempo but the pace ⁠dropped after the interval in the heat in ​Seville. The Republic of Ireland star Parrott, introduced ‌in the 68th ‌minute, broke the deadlock in the 81st when ‌he reacted quickly after Thibaut Courtois parried a header into his path.

Paris Saint-Germain have drawn both of their league games so far and Monaco pose a tricky task on Friday

“It’s like we’re at school,” Luis Enrique quipped as he entered the press conference room, hearing the journalists respond in unison to his hearty bonjour.

His remark was fitting on the eve of Paris Saint-Germain’s first home match of the season, which lines up nicely with France’s rentrée, the term for the nationwide return to school and the office at the start of September. Although the new campaign is in full swing by now, the team have had to wait several weeks before making their return to the Parc des Princes, where they welcome second place Monaco on Friday night.

It has been a tough transfer window for Marseille and a 2-0 defeat at Monaco suggests it could be a long season

By Get French Football News

A humid night in Monaco provided an opportunity to gauge the temperature of the Marseille supporters. Despite the ban on away fans at the Stade Louis II, plenty were in attendance for their 2-0 defeat in the Principality. There were cheers for their new manager, Bruno Génésio, and boos for Geoffrey Kondogbia, but it was the silence for much of the second half that spoke volumes.

Génésio, who replaced Habib Beye in the summer, has been appointed to keep a lid on things. The former Lille manager has been part of a larger reshuffle at Marseille, with the president and the sporting director also replaced. The new arrivals have inherited a mess. After making promises to Uefa and the DNCG – French football’s financial watchdog – Marseille were allowed to compete in Europe this season. However, if they fail to reduce their wage bill drastically, they will not be allowed to do so next season.

• Promoted Málaga slump to 4-0 defeat at the Bernabéu

• Como defeat Napoli; Jones makes Inter debut in win

Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to the season in La Liga with a comfortable 4-0 home ⁠win over promoted Málaga on Sunday, scoring three times inside 30 minutes before adding a late fourth.

Jude Bellingham’s brilliant solo opener, an own ⁠goal by the Málaga goalkeeper, ⁠Alfonso Herrero, and ​a sharp Kylian Mbappé volley in effect settled the contest before half-time, with the substitute Arda Guler wrapping up the victory in added time at ⁠the Bernabéu.

• Marquinhos grabs late equaliser for Ligue 1 champions

• Bayern crush Stuttgart 5-1; Milan sink Venezia 2-0

Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos scored deep into stoppage ⁠time to snatch a scarcely deserved 2-2 draw at Lille on Friday as the Ligue 1 champions ⁠continued their unconvincing start to the season.

After a poor 2-2 draw ‌against Rennes on the opening weekend, things went from bad to worse for PSG when Lille took the lead in the 21st minute as Icelandic playmaker Hákon Haraldsson latched on to a brilliant reverse pass from Olivier Giroud and curled an unstoppable shot past ‌Matvey Safonov.

PSG flexed their muscles, bringing Ferran Torres off the bench to save the day, but only because Rennes made them

By Get French Football News

On the scale of expressions of prowess and power, Paris Saint-Germain bringing almost €150m worth of attacking talent off the bench – including the man who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final last month – ranks only a couple of rungs below the level of the extravagant aggression of a military parade. Imposing, dominating, reasserting, this wasn’t about expression but necessity as the reigning European champions initially floundered against a Rennes team that lived up to their billing as the best of the rest in Ligue 1.

PSG were forced into rolling out their new attacking arsenal early. For 45 minutes, Rennes’ incessant pressing and fluidity in transition had Luis Enrique’s side under duress. Sebastien Szymanski opened the scoring with a sliced effort from outside the box that clipped in off the inside of a post.

• Atlético’s Alvarez booed by own fans in home draw

• Salah scores first goals in Trabzonspor victory

Ferran Torres came off the bench to score a late double ⁠on his debut as Paris Saint-Germain rallied from two goals down to draw ⁠2-2 with ⁠hosts Rennes in their Ligue 1 season opener on Sunday. Sebastian Szymanski and Esteban Lepaul gave ⁠the home side a 2-0 lead at half-time but PSG piled on the pressure in ⁠the second period and were rewarded with a point.

Rennes led ​inside nine minutes as ‌Szymanski’s shot went ‌in off the post to provide the perfect start ‌to the season for the hosts. Désiré Doué thought he had levelled for PSG, but his effort was ruled out for offside, and the home side made it 2-0 seven minutes before the break. Przemyslaw Frankowski found space ‌on the right wing and his low cross into the box was turned into the ​net by Lepaul.

• De Bruyne scores as Napoli strike late to beat Genoa

• Michael Olise leads Bayern Munich to 2-1 victory

Inter kicked off their ⁠Serie A title defence with a 4-1 home win against ⁠Monza, ​after the promoted side recovered from conceding an early ⁠goal to go in level at the break before the ⁠champions turned on the style.

Hakan Calhanoglu ​put Inter ahead ‌in the ‌sixth minute, but the hosts were ‌far too complacent after taking the lead and Gustavo Varela equalised for the visitors just before the half-hour. Inter began the second half as ‌they had the first, with Piotr Zielinski scoring three minutes ​after the break, before Pio Esposito and Yann Bisseck wrapped up the win for Cristian Chivu’s side.

Success for most French clubs is staying afloat financially and developing players for buyers in the Premier League

By Get French Football News

On the eve of a new Ligue 1 season, many clubs seem a little distracted. Even those accustomed to competing at the top have concerns that transcend the pitch. In a league that contains the greatest team on the continent, the focus of the majority of clubs has shifted to surviving and providing, rather than competing.

Any fighting spirit has long since been kicked out of Paris Saint-Germain’s competitors; back-to-back Champions League titles will do that. It feels like a long time ago since Kylian Mbappé moved to Real Madrid on a free transfer, leaving behind a scent of opportunity that filled the nostrils of Marseille, Monaco and Lille. Roberto De Zerbi was bullish when he joined Marseille. “I’m not here to finish second,” said the manager, who has since moved to Tottenham. Finishing second has now become an aspiration, especially for a club such as Marseille, given their predicament.