Kylian Mbappe scored twice but was powerless to prevent Paris Saint-Germain from falling to a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Nice on Friday evening.
Mbappe gave the ball away early on for Terem Moffi’s opener but responded with a smart equaliser, but PSG fell apart after the break as goals from Gaetan Laborde and Moffi put Nice into an insurmountable lead.
PSG had a chance to get back into things when Mbappe netted a glorious volley with five minutes to go, but there simply was not enough time for Luis Enrique’s side to find that all-important third goal.
How the game unfolded
PSG had a real scare early on when Gianluigi Donnarumma’s poor pass was picked off by Morgan Sanson, who just couldn’t get the ball under control before the Italian could come out and claim, and that mistake seemed to unsettle the hosts from the get-go.
Nice pressed high and refused to allow PSG to play out from the back, and they forced an error from Mbappe 20 minutes in. The talisman lost the ball and could only watch as Nice raced forward and fired themselves ahead through Moffi.
Donnarumma had to make an excellent save to deny Marcus Thuram soon after but Mbappe went straight down the other end and atoned for his slip-up as he lashed home a cut-back from Achraf Hakimi to tie things up on the half-hour mark.
Mbappe wasn’t far off adding a second before the break but was inches away from tapping home a cross from Ousmane Dembele, instead colliding with the post and taking a few minutes to regain his composure.
The two sides went in level but PSG were a little fortunate to do so as Jordan Lotomba fluffed a glorious chance with almost the final kick of the half. The right-back lost all composure and blazed his effort over the bar when it looked easier to score.
A counter saw Nice fire themselves back ahead early in the second half. Moffi beat Danilo and dinked over a cross towards Laborde, who tapped home from close range.
An error from Vitinha nearly handed Nice a third but Moffi needed no invitation when he drilled home a fierce effort with 20 minutes to go to set up a major shock.
Mbappe handed PSG a lifeline with five minutes to go as he fired home an acrobatic volley, but Nice held firm and secured a huge three points.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 3/10 – Unconvincing with the ball at his feet and fortunate only to concede three goals. Nearly directly responsible for a goal.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – 5/10 – A smart assist but didn’t cover himself in glory during the rest of his time on the pitch.
CB: Danilo Pereira – 3/10 – Not a centre-back, despite years of playing there. Didn’t have the tools to deal with Moffi.
CB: Milan Skriniar – 2/10 – A significant disappointment. Looked like he had absolutely no idea how to deal with Nice’s counters.
LB: Lucas Hernandez – 4/10 – Really poor for Nice’s third goal. Not the best way to endear yourself to your new fans.
CM: Carlos Soler – 3/10 – Hooked on the hour mark after a thoroughly uninspiring outing. Failed to offer the kind of creativity or control needed in games like this.
CM: Vitinha – 4/10 – With the newly departed Marco Verratti watching in the stands, Vitinha failed in his audition to become his replacement.
CM: Warren Zaire-Emery – 5/10 – His inexperience seemed to show in this game. Struggled to find ways through Nice’s stubborn defence.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – 3/10 – Lacked all composure in front of goal and that ended up costing his team. A lot of work needed to get this front line working.
ST: Goncalo Ramos – 3/10 – Failed to have a shot on target before being hooked on the hour mark. Wasn’t on the same wavelength as those around him.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – 7/10 – Guilty of losing possession for the opening goal but did his best to drag PSG back into things. His second goal was sensational.
Substitutes
SUB: Manuel Ugarte (64′ for Soler) – 6/10
SUB: Randal Kolo Muani (64′ for Ramos) – 7/10
SUB: Bradley Barcola (67′ for Dembele) – 5/10
Subs not used: Arnau Tenas (GK), Keylor Navas (GK), Layvin Kurzawa, Marquinhos, Ethan Mbappe, Cher Ndour
Manager
Luis Enrique – 4/10 – Some really questionable selections in this team. No Marquinhos was a killer and leaving Ugarte out ultimately saw PSG’s midfield overrun.
