Paris Saint-Germain have kick-started the 2025/26 Ligue 1 campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Nantes courtesy of a winning goal from Vitinha.
Fresh off their UEFA Super Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur on penalties, Luis Enrique decided to rotate the squad allowing many of the squad players to start the Ligue 1 opener.
The fans also got an opportunity to see new signing Illia Zabarnyi, who has joined the Champions League winners from Bournemouth this summer.
The Parisians paid €66m ($77m) transfer fee including bonuses for the Ukrainian defender following his great performances for the Cherries in the previous Premier League campaign.
The deal took time to get finalized and eventually Zabarnyi’s arrival was too tight for him to feature for PSG in the Supercup fixture, but he made his official debut on Sunday against Nantes.
The 22-year-old marked his debut with a fine clean sheet whilst partnering Lucas Beraldo by his side at the heart of the PSG defense.
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Overall, Zabarnyi finished the game with 12 final third passes, four long balls, won two ground duels and two tackles whilst maintaining 96% passing accuracy.
Zabarnyi hardly broke a sweat throughout the ninety minutes, proving why PSG were interested in him right from the beginning of the summer.
What did Luis Enrique say about PSG debutant Illia Zabarnyi?
PSG boss Luis Enrique and defender Beraldo spoke to the media after their winning start to the Ligue 1 2025/26 campaign. Both of them praised the Ukrainian’s performance on debut.
Beraldo spoke very highly of his defensive partner, as he stated, “He’s an incredible player. I think he’ll find it very easy to play with us. He’ll help us a lot. We’re also here to help him feel at home.”
“I think Zabarnyi’s physical and technical conditions are perfect for the style of play that I like. He is comfortable with the ball and that’s important for us. And without the ball, he’s a player who normally wins duels. I think he had a very good game. I have the same feeling for Lucas Chevalier. He hardly had to do anything.” Enrique told the media when asked about Zabarnyi’s debut.
The Ukrainian centre-back enjoyed a sensational campaign with Bournemouth last season where he partnered Dean Huijsen in defense and played a massive role in the club’s ninth-place finish in the Premier League.
Zabarnyi started his professional career at Dinamo Kyiv before moving to Bournemouth in January 2023 and didn’t look back since then courtesy of his consistent performances in defense.
He has also appeared 49 times for Ukraine and is set to be an important player in the backline for Enrique’s men as they aim to defend their Champions League crown this season.
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