PSG's preseason tour of Japan began with a goalless draw against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Luis Enrique gave a lot of his new signings minutes together at the Nagai Stadium as well as opportunities for some younger players. Noha Lemina was the best PSG player on the pitch as he proved to be a constant threat.
Although Kylian Mbappe was left out of the squad for this tour, his younger brother Ethan Mbappe managed to get on the pitch in the second half of the match.
Ronaldo had a few good chances to score in the fixture, including a bicycle kick, but he failed to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma between the posts. Seko Fofana and Alex Telles both made their debuts for the Saudi Pro League team.
Fofana and Marcelo Brozovic formed a solid partnership in the Al Nassr midfield, but it is clear that there is still some unfamiliarity between the two new signings. However, it was a much better performance from Luis Castro's side than expected after their two previous defeats.
The Sporting News followed the match live and provided score updates, commentary and highlights below.
PSG vs Al Nassr result
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | |
| PSG | 0 | 0 |
| Al Nassr | 0 | 0 |
Confrimed lineups:
PSG (4-3-3, right to left): Donnarumma(GK) — Hakimi, Pereira, Skriniar, Hernandez — Vitinha, Cher Ndour, Zaire-Emery — Soler, Asensio, Lemina.
Al Nassr (4-2-3-1, right to left): Nawaf(GK) — Sultan , Lajami , Mado, Konan — Brozovic, Fofana — Ayman, Talisca, Ghareeb — Ronaldo.
PSG vs Al Nassr live updates, highlights, commentary
Full time: PSG 0-0 Al Nassr
The game ends with an offside call and finishes goalless at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan.
Both managers would've hoped for more considering how the game unfolded back in January, but they would've learnt a lot about their new signings and how they plan to move forward from this game.
FULL-TIME: 0-0 #PSGAlNassr⌛️
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 25, 2023
The friendly finishes goalless. Some vital minutes in the legs!
🇯🇵 #PSGJapanTour2023 pic.twitter.com/rvelYQ3ALF
92 min: PSG almost have a blunder at the back as Kurzawa looks to pass to Donnarumma, but the goalkeeper makes two quick saves to deny the Al Nassr attackers.
90 min: There will be a minimum of three additional minutes at the end of this game.
89 min: Kurzawa is not happy with the referee after he is penalised for a foul near the halfway line. This game could be ending goalless at the full time whistle.
86 min: Verratti steps up the take the set-piece, however his strike goes straight at his team-mate Ruiz, who is standing in front of the Al Nassr wall.
85 min: Housni wins a free-kick in a very promising position for PSG. Ruiz and Verratti are currently standing over the ball, with Marquinhos also involved.
83 min: Gharbi sprints down the right wing and tries to square the ball to Housni near the penalty spot, but his pass is cut out promptly. PSG are pushing hard for a winner.
80 min: The fans inside the stadium in Japan are trying to create a better atmosphere for the final 10 minutes of this match. They will be disappointed if they don't see any goals today.
77 min: The midfield is almost non-existent in this match now as it is very end-to-end at the moment. PSG still look more likely to score, but neither goalkeeper has been tested in the second half.
74 min: Mbappe looks to play Gharbi over the top of the Al Nassr defence, but the forward makes his run too early and the linesman signals for offside.
71 min: Ali replaces Brozovic in the Al Nassr midfield as the Croatian looked fatigued in the middle of the pitch. It is all PSG at the moment as the Saudi team cannot retain the ball.
69 min: The tempo of the match has slowed down significantly following the mass substitutions from PSG. The French side are benefitting from the slower pace at the moment.
65 min: Ronaldo comes off to a great applause from the crowd as Adam replaces him in the attack for Al Nassr.
61 min: Luis Enrique makes nine changes in one go for PSG. This is how they now lineup: Donnarumma; Marquinhos, Kurzawa, Bernat; Ugarte, Mbappe, Verratti, Ruiz; Housni, Gharbi, Lemina.
58 min: Talisca is struggling to make an impact in this game. He is very slow on the ball and finding it difficult to play the likes of Ronaldo into a goal-scoring position.
54 min: Telles comes on for Konan at left-back for Al Nassr. Khalid, Alamri and Alkhaibari also come on to replace Fofana, Lajami and Ghareeb.
51 min: Brozovic drives with the ball from the halfway line and opts to shoot instead of passing to Ronaldo in the box. His effort is blocked by Skriniar as PSG are let off the hook again.
48 min: Fofana plays Ronaldo in behind the PSG defence, but Pereira and Skriniar recover quickly to stop the striker from attempting a shot on goal.
46 min: Asensio gets the second half underway for PSG at the Nagai Stadium.
Half-time: PSG 0-0 Al Nassr
Asensio attempts a shot with the last kick of the first period, with Nawaf making a fairly comfortable save to keep the scoreline goalless.
It has been a very close half with both teams having good chances to open to scoring. Ronaldo and Fofana have been Al Nassr's best players while Lemina was the standout player for PSG in the first 45 minutes.
45 min: Ronaldo gets the crowd on their feet as he attempts a bicycle kick from Fofana's cross, but his attempt goes wide of the goal. The linesman raises his flag for offside soon after as the Portugal international strayed beyond the last defender.
43 min: Fofana has had a lot of work to do in the midfield in this first half. He has been helpful in starting attacks as well as protecting the Al Nassr backline.
40 min: CLOSE! Ronaldo almost scores with a clever flick in the box, but Donnarumma reacts quickly to parry the ball away from goal and towards a team-mate.
39 min: Al Nassr are forced into an early change as Ayman makes way for Alsulaihem in the midfield.
37 min: Lemina makes a darting run to the byline but he cannot find a team-mate with his cutback. He has been PSG's best player in this match as they look to find a breakthrough.
34 min: Ghareeb makes his way back onto the pitch following treatment for his back injury. This match is currently very even as both sides look capable of scoring before half-time.
33 min: Ghareeb goes down off the ball for Al Nassr as he seems to have injured his back. The physios are on to see whether the player will be able to continue.
29 min: Ronaldo tries his luck with a shot on the swivel, but his effort deflects wide of the right post. The resulting corner is cleared away by PSG defenders.
26 min: Lemina wins a free-kick on the left wing for PSG. Asensio sends in an in-swinging cross, but Ronaldo heads the ball away from danger for Al Nassr.
23 min: BIG MISS! Lemina is one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the box, but the PSG forward fails to hit the target from close range. That is the best chance of the half so far.
20 min: PSG are now on the back foot as the Saudi Arabian side are regaining the ball in dangerous areas. They still need to work on their final pass as back-to-back crosses have now gone out for goal kicks.
18 min: Al Nassr are slowly growing in this game and posing a bigger threat. Ronaldo is dropping into deeper positions to help his side build their attacks.
15 min: Ronaldo has a half-chance in the box as a floated cross comes his way, but Skriniar does enough to put the striker off as Donnarumma catches the header.
13 min: Lajami requires some medical attention following a heavy challenge from Lemina, but the Al Nassr defender is able to continue after treatment from the physios.
11 min: Ronaldo draws a foul to relieve some of the pressure his team are facing. PSG look a lot more comfortable in the opening minutes of this encounter as the Saudi Pro League side cannot get into the opposition half.
8 min: PSG are keeping the ball well in their own half, but they are struggling to find their find attacking players in the good positions. They will need to start going down the wide areas more to utilise their width.
5 min: Al Nassr are defending with a very compact shape as they hold a very high defensive line to try and reduce the space PSG have to pass in midfield
2 min: Soler tests Nawaf early on in this game as he forces the goalkeeper to make a save from his free-kick. PSG are looking to apply some early pressure in this match.
1 min: Ronaldo gets the game underway from the centre circle for Al Nassr, who are wearing their new kit for the first time.
It's about Time!
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) July 25, 2023
AlNassr Home Kit 23-24 is here 🤩#BringTheInsideOut 💛 pic.twitter.com/6mWtXsIQgh
2 mins to KO: The players are making their way onto the pitch as Ronaldo and Danilo lead out their respective sides.
20 mins to KO:
Al Nassr have now released their starting 11. Ronaldo starts alongside Brozovic, Fofana and Talisca.
🗒 || Starting lineup with the new home kit,@AlNassrFC vs #PSG pic.twitter.com/HsxAC5fRgy
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) July 25, 2023
30 mins to KO:
Asensio, Skriniar and Hernandez are all named in the starting lineup for PSG, while Ugarte starts on the bench.
The starting 1️⃣1️⃣ for this friendly! 📋🔴🔵
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 25, 2023
📺 #PSGTV Premium
🇯🇵 #PSGJapanTour2023 I #PSGAlNassr pic.twitter.com/49ayX8e3NH
60 mins to KO: When these two sides met back in January, they produced a nine-goal thriller which ended 5-4 in favour of PSG. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both got on the scoresheet that day, while Juan Bernat was shown a red card.
90 mins to KO: Al Nassr will have their fair share of stars on the pitch as they look bounce back from two consecutive defeats in preseason. Saudi Pro League sides have been very busy in the transfer window so far.
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) July 24, 2023
120 mins to KO: All eyes on Mbappe......thousands of miles away!
More on exclusive Al Hilal-Mbappé story revealed today 🔵🇸🇦
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 24, 2023
PSG, obviously accepting €300m bid… but no talks with player as of now.
Al Hilal will offer Mbappé world record salary — even if just for one season.
PSG feel Kylian’s agreement with Real Madrid for 2024 is sealed. pic.twitter.com/pZvXBKKN7E
PSG vs Al Nassr lineups
Luis Enrique will be aiming to keep Mbappe talk to a minimum in Japan and the former Spain and Barcelona head coach will want to get his new signings up to speed in the coming weeks.
Milan Skriniar and Marco Asensio start for PSG today, but Ugarte is on the bench for the French champions to begin the match.
PSG (4-3-3, right to left): Donnarumma(GK) — Hakimi, Danilo, Skriniar, Hernandez — Vitinha, Cher Ndour, Zaire-Emery — Soler, Asensio, Lemina.
Ronaldo captains Al Nassr in this tie with Luis Castro also boosted by some new faces in his squad. Marcelo Brozovic and Seko Fofana start for the Saudi Pro League side, but Alex Telles is not match fit.
Al Nassr (4-2-3-1, right to left): Nawaf(GK) — Sultan , Lajami , Mado, Konan — Brozovic, Fofana — Ayman, Talisca, Ghareeb — Ronaldo.
PSG vs Al Nassr live stream, TV channel
Preseason games are not always available for broadcast or streaming with PSG providing an in-house option for supporters.
PSG TV will stream the game for fans across the world as part of their wider coverage of the Japan tour.
There are additional options available in Australia, via Paramount+, and in India with FanCode.