On Saturday at the Stade de la Meinau, Paris Saint-Germain secured a 1-3 victory over Strasbourg during the 7th matchday of the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season. Below are the player ratings awarded by Le Parisien and L’Équipe to the Parisian side (you can find our own ratings here).
Le Parisien:
L’Équipe:
Safonov keeps Paris in the game; substitutes do the rest
PSG won 1-3 away to Strasbourg on Saturday, in the 7th round of Ligue 1. However, the eight changes made to the starting lineup—following the match against Manchester City—weighed heavily for much of the game. Trailing and lacking inspiration, Paris relied on saves from Safonov and a boost from the bench to turn around a contest that had begun very poorly.
Defense remains fragile
The high marks for Safonov are well-deserved. His interventions against Harder kept Paris within striking distance of Strasbourg; without him, the substitutes might have faced a far more difficult situation. At the back, Digne left too much space during the opening goal, while Hernandez’s challenge was overly timid. Zabarnyi received a 6 from both outlets, a reward for his crucial equalizer—a goal that carried significant weight in a defensive performance that was, otherwise, far from flawless.
Kvaratskhelia and Beraldo fail to deliver
Kvaratskhelia had an opportunity to re-establish his standing, but he mostly just collected the ball without creating the expected impact—including a costly loss of possession that led to Strasbourg’s goal. The rating of 3 given by both publications seems fair. It was also difficult to spark the attack given the sluggish ball circulation. Playing as a defensive anchor, Beraldo too often slowed down the tempo, while Neves also lacked the necessary energy to drive the midfield forward. A decisive bench—a fact not captured by the average rating
Dembélé missed his penalty, yet kept pushing forward, eventually setting up the equalizer and scoring the second goal. This ability to bounce back immediately makes all the difference. Doué won the penalty and finished the job, while Hakimi provided a crucial assist. The substitutes brought the initiative that had been lacking. Luis Enrique’s 6/10 rating in L’Équipe is justified by his corrective adjustments and their effectiveness; however, his starting lineup had left too many problems to solve.
