After several tough matches, including a recent home loss this weekend against Metz (0-1), the last in the league, OGC Nice needed to rise to the occasion at Parc des Princes against Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite the favorable conditions for PSG, it was OGC Nice who had the first chance of the match, in the 9th minute.
Kasper Dolberg struck from the edge of the Parisian box with great power, putting Donnarumma in danger, who deflected it for a corner.
The Parisians responded a few minutes later, in the 12th minute with a free kick from Lionel Messi. It was deflected but eventually came back to Danilo, who hit the post. It was inconsequential, as the Portuguese player was offside anyway.
The match really took off at a frenetic pace, and after a period of PSG possession near Benitez’s goal, the Gym quickly regained control and launched a counterattack. Andy Delort was close to shooting but Kimpembe made a superb recovery (15’).
18th minute: The young Edimbe, a surprising starter, was particularly noticeable in the early stages of the match. He took action with a shot from 25 meters, which landed comfortably in Benitez’s gloves.
Even though PSG had the lion’s share of possession, they had the best chances on the counter. Lionel Messi took the ball through the center of the field and passed it to Mbappé on the left. The latter opened his foot as usual to find the opposite side. But the Azurean goalkeeper was there again, blocking the shot from the French international and even making a second foot save by pushing the ball arriving at Gueye (25’).
As expected at the half-hour mark, PSG controlled possession while the Nice players tried to quickly relaunch and play on the counter. This tactic almost paid off in the 32nd minute. It was a huge opportunity for the Gym as the Nice team recovered a good ball in the midfield, played quickly on the left side, Lotomba accelerated and crossed for Delort who powered a header but Donnarumma made a superb save.
At the 41st minute, Mendes surged down the left side, the Portuguese defender found space and tried to serve Messi, but it finally landed at the edge of the area to Hakimi who sent a volley into the sky.
Returning from the locker room, the match resumed with the same scenario as in the initial period.
In the first five minutes of the second half, Benitez came through on several occasions. First, in a duel with his compatriot Di Maria, the Azurean goalkeeper made a very nice save, blocking the ball with his leg. Mendes tried his luck a few seconds later with a powerful shot from 25 meters, but once again the Argentine was imperial and quickly dived to stop it..
A huge chance for Nice! Two minutes before the hour mark, the Nice team launched a counterattack with Kluivert who passed the ball to Delort, who delayed to switch to Boudaoui.
The young Algerian controlled the ball perfectly, executed a cross for Dolberg, the Dane, free of any marking, headed but hit Donnarumma’s post!
PSG woke up after this opportunity, again thanks to their two geniuses Messi and Mbappe. In the 64th minute, Lionel Messi led a Parisian counterattack, attempting to serve Di Maria but Dante intervened. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner reclaimed the ball and perfectly served Kylian Mbappe in the box, the latter controlled his shot but saw it go wide.
With 20 minutes left in regulation, Nice held strong despite Parisian attacks intensifying. However, the Eagles could also believe in a smash-and-grab, as there were many spaces in the opposing defense on the counter.
In the 75th minute, the Parisians grew increasingly relentless on the Nice goal. This time it was Di Maria who tried his luck from afar with a shot that grazed Benitez’s left post.
There were no real opportunities until the end of regulation time. In the final seconds, Mbappé attempted a cross for Icardi, but the former Inter player was too short, allowing the ball to go out of bounds.
The final whistle blew with the score at 0-0. OGC Nice had a solid match against the Parisian giant, strong in defense with an excellent Jean-Clair Todibo and a flawless Walter Benitez, who could have conceded but ultimately kept a clean sheet. On the other hand, the Eagles might have some regrets as scoring was not an impossible mission against a completely disorganized team on the counter. Delort (32nd) and Dolberg (58th) could have opened the score from beautiful crosses by Lotomba but were unfortunately unlucky.
With this draw, the Gym still achieved a good performance, becoming the third team of the season not to lose against PSG. However, this point will not suffice to stay on the podium as Marseille won against Nantes. Nice thus ranks 4th in the league
