Gym came very close to pulling off the perfect performance at the Parc des Princes. But a lack of efficiency combined with a dose of home-court officiating thwarted the plans of the Aiglons.
OGC Nice had the cards in hand to make a move in Paris this afternoon. Deprived of Kylian Mbappé in particular, the Parisians are now just a shadow of their former selves since securing the title. After the disappointments of the Champions League and the League Cup, PSG lost in the final of the French Cup to Rennes, before going on to be defeated in Montpellier.
Against Nice, PSG was eager to bounce back and offer their disgruntled supporters a nice end to the season. But on the other side, Gym didn’t intend to capitulate. The first half showcased the solidity of the defensive block, rarely troubled by Parisians who may not have been playing to their full potential.
Atal, always lively on the right wing, proved to be the most dangerous. He executed a brilliant play that ended with a post from Danilo (26th minute) but was flagged offside. Walter Benitez stood out during the first half; first on a scissor kick from Neymar (8th minute), then on a shot from Di Maria (24th minute). The Argentine goalkeeper, snubbed by the UNFP trophies, was present. Once again.
The first half ended in a draw, but the second half began with a bang. On a brilliant pass from Dante at the restart, Ignatius left Dani Alves behind and fired past Aréola at the near post with his left foot (0-1, 46th minute). A superb goal that set Gym off perfectly.
But, once again, Nice couldn’t capitalize during their strong periods. Ten minutes later, Atal made another fantastic run down the right. He got past Bernat and crossed to the far post for Saint-Maximin, alone… who shot onto the crossbar (58th minute).
Immediately afterward, Paris was awarded a penalty at the other end, which Neymar converted (1-1, 60th minute). Despite this setback, Nice pushed to score a second goal.
Towards the end of the match, things nearly swung in Paris’s favor: in a seemingly innocuous move, Neymar struck over the bar and collapsed (as usual). The referee asked to consult the video. He saw that Neymar controlled the ball with his hand but “wanted to see the other foul.” According to him, Dante committed a foul against the attacker, who had already shot. After a few minutes of reflection, the referee awarded an unexpected and completely gratuitous penalty to PSG.
But as justice sometimes prevails, Edinson Cavani missed his one-on-one with Walter Benitez, who made a superb save, deflecting the penalty in stoppage time (90+5th minute). A fitting response to UNFP’s oversight for the best goalkeeper trophy.
Gym left with a well-deserved point, remaining in seventh place in the standings. While hopes of Europe are over, Gym still has three strong opponents (Nantes on Saturday, Saint-Étienne, and Monaco) to end the season on a high note. It’s all we ask for.
STAT OF THE DAY: 50%
Walter Benitez has saved 50% of the penalties he has faced in Ligue 1, a total of five saves out of ten penalties faced (Opta stats). Take note, UNFP.
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“The outcome is rather positive because it’s never easy to come back from the Parc with a point, even though scoring that second goal would have given us more promise, but unfortunately, we didn’t achieve it. We leave here with a good point and a good match. Tactically, we were well-organized, we did interesting things, but on the offensive aspect, we lacked aggressiveness. We still faced many difficulties because there were great players against us. We were well-placed, we posed problems for them, and they struggled to find players between the lines. We defended well on crosses.”
MALANG SARR’S REACTION
“In the heat of the moment, I see the glass as half empty because we had the chance to score the 2-0 goal and kill the match. It’s a lesson. We are a young team, and we will learn from this match. It’s good to have taken this point at the Parc des Princes and to have delivered this performance. I’m happy with the team, proud of the guys and the staff after everything we prepared for this encounter. We need to continue like this.”
