The game: 1-0
It might have been a shock of the Championship between the 3rd and the 1st, the PSG players obviously had another one in mind, much more essential in their eyes. In four days, the leader of Ligue 1 will play what is proving to be, for the moment, the most important match of his season on the lawn of Real Madrid, in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League (victory 1-0 in the first leg), and his performance at the Allianz Riviera was the symbol of his priority at the time. Lacking imagination and desire, deprived of the energy of Mbappé, suspended, the vice-champion of France ended up cracking, and logically (0-1).
Because the start of the match could already have punished PSG if Gouiri had converted one of his opportunities. Certainly, Di Maria had lost a duel against Benitez, decisive against the dive of the right of the Argentinian (9th). But PSG then offered nothing, or almost nothing. Well in place defensively, the two teams no longer managed, for a long time, to bring real danger to the opposing camp, despite the presence of two attractive trios on paper (Kluivert-Gouiri-Dolberg in Nice, Di Maria-Messi- Neymar for PSG).
Everything finally changed with an achievement at the end of the meeting by Delort (88th), allowing the Riviera club to temporarily take second place overall, to the detriment of OM. PSG saw a long-solid Navas in goal, whose tenure leaves the suspense of the choice of goalkeeper at the Bernabeu, and Neymar picking up the pace, while Wijnaldum and Messi were transparent. But one thing is certain: Paris will absolutely have to show another face on Wednesday to continue its adventure in C1. Fortunately for the Parisian club, Mbappé will be there.
0
PSG have never beaten Nice in three games this season. And for good reason: he has never been able to score in these three matches. The two teams had separated on the score of 0-0 in the first leg (December 1) as in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France (0-0, 5-6 on tabs on January 31).
The player: Delort, it’s precious
He was obviously disappointed not to be a starter, but he didn’t show anything when he came into play in place of a again very disappointing Dolberg (70th). There were just over twenty minutes left when Andy Delort walked onto the Allianz Riviera lawn and, as usual, the striker began to multiply runs in order to create breaches in the Parisian defense. And then, in the 88th, on a superb service from Stengs, Delort popped up at the far post and propelled the ball from the right, at close range, into the left corner of Navas, helpless on the spot. For his first goal since January 9, the former Montpellier player could exult: thanks to him, Nice, the new dolphin of PSG, is more than ever in the running for a qualification in the Champions League.
5
Nice had not beaten PSG since April 30, 2017 (3-1), five years. This is only the second victory for the Azureans in the last 18 meetings between the two teams (2 wins, 3 draws, 13 losses).
