For the third time this season, the Gym faced Paris Saint-Germain. Undefeated in the first two encounters at the Parc, the Eagles once again defied the Parisians by winning this crucial match at the Allianz.
After qualifying against Versailles for the Coupe de France final and just before PSG’s return leg in Madrid, the Eagles knew they had to continue their momentum to reclaim second place in the league.
The first half between these two teams seemed fairly balanced in play, despite Paris’s dominance in possession. Nonetheless, it was the Eagles who lit the first sparks thanks to Gouiri, the man of the semifinal against Versailles. From the first minutes, the former Lyon player was already making his presence known to trouble Keylor Navas, who was initially watchful (2nd minute), before seeing the ball skim his post (6th minute).
PSG immediately responded through Di Maria, well launched on a counterattack by Neymar, but El Fideo lacked precision on his chip (9th minute).
The Gym managed the midfield battle particularly well, quickly putting pressure on the opposing defense.
Pablo Rosario, returning to his midfield position, had the opportunity to score his first goal in a Nice shirt in the 24th minute. Taking advantage of a mistake by Marquinhos, he headed the ball, but it was completely off target.
The teams returned to the locker rooms after a tactical and intense first half in terms of duels. But it was the Nice team that was the most threatening.
Christophe Galtier’s men started the second half in the same way as the first, with a lot of intensity in the first five minutes. On a corner, captain Dante, completely unmarked, headed the ball, but it was caught by Navas (48th minute).
The pace of the match, however, slowed as the second half progressed, with the Nice team ceding ball control to the Parisians. The visitors only created a chance after an hour of play with a Neymar free kick, headed by Kehrer. Benitez was not troubled and calmly collected the ball.
The Parisians attempted several shots at goal through their Argentine players, first with Di Maria (73rd minute) and then Icardi (82nd minute).
Gouiri then launched Kluivert, completely forgotten on his right flank, but the Dutchman’s shot lacked power, going directly to Navas (84th minute). Andy Delort, who came on in place of Dolberg, capitalized on Nice’s last possessions with shots. The Algerian first tried in the 86th minute, but it was off target. Moments later, on a counterattack, he was perfectly set up by Stengs. The former Montpellier captain hit a powerful shot that shattered Navas’s net! 1–0 for OGC Nice with two minutes left of regulation time!
In the last minutes of this match, PSG tried to equalize, but it was Nice that continued to pose a threat. The Eagles even thought they would get a penalty thanks to Icardi, but the referee ultimately canceled the shot from 11 meters due to a foul outside the box (90th + 6 minutes).
It had been 5 years since OGC Nice last beat Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. This season, the Gym has been PSG’s nemesis, as in the three encounters, the Parisians never managed to beat the Eagles or even score a single goal!
Thanks to a perfect tactic and a superb goal by Andy Delort, Nice overtakes Marseille and reclaims second place in the league standings!
