PSG vs Nice, Ligue 1 HIGHLIGHTS : Welcome to Sportstar’s HIGHLIGHTS of the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nice.
FULL TIME: PSG wins 2-1 and it was a hard-fought one. Messi opened the scoring for the Parisians with one of his trademark freekick. Laborde equalised for Nice straight after half-time, only for Mbappe to come in and seal the game for his side in the 83rd minute.
Pepe finds himself in some space down the right. But he can’t find the right cross. Nice is desperate to get forward but PSG has doubled down on the defesnse. Four minutes added on and PSG sees it off with ease. PSG WINS 2-1!!
Renato Sanches is down on the floor. The medics come on and it didn’t look like it came from any sort of contact. Meanwhile Messi is subbed off and the fans applaud the man who opened the scoring for their side. And Sanches is replaced by Danilo.
It is Mbappe time. He came in as a sub and he could be the match winner. Mukiele, a second half sub, got past the defense into the right hand byline and he cuts it back for Mbappe for a simple finish. PSG LEADS 2-1.
Renato Sanches is the next PSG player to come off the bench. He has made an immediate impact by solidifying PSG’s presence in the midfield. Nice not pushing too many players forward as it looks to play it out.
PSG committing more men forward. A goal-mouth scramble is quickly quelled by Nice defenders. A flurry of changes for Nice as Favre looks to consolidate his position.
Messi threads the needle to release Nuno Mendes. But Schmeichel came flying out to block the shot. The wingback may have been offside, but Messi’s pass was inch perfect.
Nice brings in Ivorian winger Nicholas Pepe. PSG attackers are pinning Nice defenders back into their box. Hakimi is also getting heavily involved as PSG looks to retake the lead.
Mbappe immediately gets a chance to run at Nice defenders. He finds Neymar, but the ball is stolen immediately from underneath his feet.
Messi and Neymar stitch together a move before the Argentinian set up Vitinha to shoot. But his shot was wide. And it is time for Mbappe to come in. Can he change the game?
Nice dominating possession at the moment. Mbappe’s arrival might be the spark PSG need to get back into this game and it looks set to happen sooner than later.
Nice has regained its intensity and verve and PSG is clearly taken aback by that goal. Another slick move by Nice, but the final touch was poor. Good signs here for the visiting side.
Nice gets going right from the restart and is rewarded immediately. A cross is floated in from the right and it is Laborde who had the composure to take it down and pump it past Donarumma. GOALLL!!! It is 1-1 and it is game on!
Messi and Bernat link up down the left and Messi shoots with venom, but Schmeichel had that in his sights and punched it away. And that is half time and it has been a one-man show run by Lionel Messi. PSG LEADS NICE 1-0 AT HALF TIME.
Neymar’s turn to dazzle past a few. He tries to set up Vitinha, but the pass is too wide. Nice tries to regain some of the lost momentum, but it is lacking in the final pass.
PSG has more time on the ball and it builds up the game slowly and smoothly from the back. The game has slipped into PSG’s hands. Messi drives past few players as easy as brushing off dust on his shoulders. He is in some mood today.
Another freekick for PSG and surely it is Messi who will take it. Neymar is in close attendance and it is the Brazilian who whips it in. He couldn’t bend it enough. The sheer threat PSG possess just from freekicks due to these two is immense.
That goal has taken the sting out of Nice, who had started the game as good as PSG. A bit of Messi magic was all it needed for the game’s balance to turn.
Messi sets off on a rapid dribble and Dante had to foul him to prevent the Argentinian from entering the box. A freekick from the range Messi usually loves to curl it in. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HE DOES!!! Messi steps up and puts it over the wall and under the bar. He wins the freekick and he thumps it in. GOAL
Messi evades a couple of markers, but his pass to Neymar wasn’t sharp enough. Nice makes a quick break, but the passing in the buildup wasn’t accurate enough and that move comes to an end. Even battle at Paris.
Ross Barkley almost sneaked through the PSG defense, but was belatedly called offside. This has been high-intensity football from Nice so far.
PSG players are being harried and hurried by the Nice pressure. Neymar and Messi have taken up the challenge to beat the press and Messi evades a couple of challenges and almost releases Hakimi down the right.
PSG finally penetrates into the Nice box and it all came from a through ball from Messi to find Hakimi. Nice defenders thwart the move, but give away a freekick. Messi goes for it, but it was not on target as Schmeichel watched it fly past.
Donnarumma is called into action as he is forced to punch clear a cross from the left. PSG hasn’t been able to dominate possession like it is used to.
PSG kicks off the game and it is without Kylian Mbappe, who has been rested. Former Leciester keeper Kasper Schmeichel in goal for Nice. Lucien Favre builds play from the back with confidence and vigour. Nice is pressing higher up the pitch than most would have expected.
PLAYING 11
When and where in PSG vs Nice?
The Ligue 1 match, PSG vs Nice, will be played at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France and is scheduled for 12:30 AM kick-off.
Where can I watch PSG vs Nice?
PSG vs Nice will be live telecast on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Sports18 is available on Tata Play (Channel No. 488), Airtel Digital (Channel No. 293), JioTV+ (Channel No. 262 – SD, 261 – HD) and Sun Direct (Channel No. 505).
Where can I live stream PSG vs Nice?
PSG vs Nice will be live streamed on Voot Select and JioTV.
PREVIEW
Messi’s form gives Nice defenders reason to fear PSG trip
Nice’s defenders must be hoping its former coach Christophe Galtier is kind enough to rest Lionel Messi for Saturday’s game at Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi’s two goals for Argentina against Jamaica on Wednesday — a typical solo goal followed by a free kick — made it nine goals in his past three games for the national team, taking his international tally to 90.
So far this season Messi has four goals and a league-high seven assists for league leader PSG and his partnership with Neymar is looking much like their Barcelona days from 2013-17.
“We have known each other for a long time, by heart, since Barcelona,” Messi told sports channel TUDN in an interview this week.
“We are happy to be together. I love playing with him.” With Messi serving up scoring chances galore thanks to his rare vision of the game and exquisite passing, it is perhaps no surprise that Neymar is leading the league with eight goals and that France star Kylian Mbappé is next with seven.
None of which is good news for a Nice side languishing in 13th place; weakened during the offseason by the sale of key forward Amine Gouiri to Rennes and by Galtier’s departure to PSG after Mauricio Pochettino was fired. A rash of late summer signings seemed like a quick fix and created an unbalance to the side that Nice coach Lucien Favre has yet to resolve.
Losing Galtier after just one season in charge was a big blow.
His arrival at PSG surprised some observers, as it marked a significant shift away from the club’s habit of chasing big-name, fan-pleasing coaches. Galtier’s credentials were etched in fact rather than any illustrious reputation. After all, he is a three-time French league manager of the year.
He knocked PSG off its perch when he led Lille to the league title against the odds in 2021, before joining Nice and sending PSG out of the French Cup in Paris. In a combined five games as Lille and Nice coach, Galtier’s sides were unbeaten against PSG without conceding a goal. A remarkable statistic considering the firepower PSG has, and proof of Galtier’s shrewd tactical sense.
The fact Galtier’s made such a fine start to this campaign, with seven wins and a draw, is also because he knew just how to eliminate the same PSG weaknesses he had exploited.
“I worked a lot on PSG’s last season and previous seasons. I also had a lot of my own analysis on PSG,” Galtier said. “I worked to find the best system possible to really bring out the incredible qualities of the players.” That has certainly worked with Messi and also with Neymar, who is fitter, leaner and hungrier than for many years.
When Galtier arrived, he said in his first press conference that no favors would be given to any players regardless of their perceived status. He has been firm but fair, taking star players off toward the end of games when previous coaches seemed more concerned about protecting fragile egos.
When Neymar was substituted toward the end of the match in Lyon on Sept. 18 he was clearly not happy. But he grit his teeth and did not make a scene. Maybe because he knew Galtier would do the same with Mbappé or Messi.
“I’m very natural and direct with the players in terms of my attitude and behavior,” Galtier said.
“You can always help a player improve, but you have to make them improve mentally: in terms of what this job demands, in terms of concentration and determination.” PSG has scored 26 goals and conceded only four in eight league games, but the players should not expect a pat on the back from Galtier.
“We still need to be more ruthless given the amount of chances we create ... and limit how many mistakes we make so that our opponents get fewer chances to believe,” Galtier said in an interview with PSG’s TV channel.
“We need more variety without changing our approach. We have our way of playing and our profile of players, but we need to some variety in terms of positioning or bringing the ball out from the back.”
PTI
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