Lucas Beraldo, 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender, paused in the mixed zone after the 0-1 victory against Nantes this Sunday at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Matchday 1 of Ligue 1 2025-2026. He highlighted the progress to come, the strength of the squad, and the contribution of Ilya Zabarnyi (22-year-old defender).
Beraldo: “It’s only the second game of the season.”
“What do you think of your match?
It’s very good for us to start like this, with an away win. We hope we can continue like this and win many matches and take as many points as possible.
Why was it so hard to score?
It’s very difficult to play against a team that’s grouped in a deep block; it’s difficult to find space in those situations.” We managed to do it with Vitinha’s goal. It’s only the second game of the season, we can only improve in terms of fitness and, of course, our game.
Beraldo: “He’s an incredible player”
The substitutes made the difference…
All the players are important in this team, they’re incredible players, and everyone wants to make a difference when they come on.
What do you think of Zabarnyi’s debut?
He’s an incredible player, he’ll adapt very easily and bring us a lot and help us. In return, we’ll help him feel at home as quickly as possible.”
PSG wasn’t perfect, but they fulfilled their mission very well: to continue building momentum and come back with a victory. Coach Luis Enrique made some rotations in light of Wednesday’s European Super Cup against Tottenham. So, everyone has pace, and no one needs to push themselves. That’s the main thing right now.
But the Parisians are also ambitious and still aim for victory. It’s also deserved, with a certain mastery thanks to the team’s key moves well established by the coach. Including intense pressing when losing the ball. This is also a great way to prepare for what’s to come. As Beraldo says, PSG can’t improve. And the foundation is already very good.
Zabarnyi has integrated quite well into the team, after a few hesitant minutes. There’s still work to be done, of course, but we saw some great promise. Both in his strength during duels (especially in the air) and in his playmaking, with well-timed and well-aimed forward passes to accelerate the game. There’s still a lot to be done, but there’s reason to be very optimistic.
