Is PSG’s Loss To OGC Nice A Sign Of Things To Come?
PSG fell at home to OGC Nice 3-2 on Friday after two goals and an assist from Terem Moffi propelled Nice to an alarming upset in Paris just days before PSG’s first Champions League matchup against Borussia Dortmund.
PSG seemed like they were in control of the game, especially during the match’s early proceedings. Things changed in the 21st minute, however, when Moffi saw his deflected shot creep into the near post past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
While Kylian Mbappé did equalize for the Parisians just eight minutes later, it was Nice who retook charge of the match. Gaëtan Laborde was there to finish for Nice after Moffi left PSG defender Danilo Pereira crawling on the floor before playing the ball into Laborde. Moffi then scored what would be the decisive goal for the visitors in the 68′, showing his quality as he cut inside on his left foot and placed the ball to perfection in the far bottom corner.
Mbappé did score a spectacular consolation goal in the 87th minute, finishing a cross put in by new signing Randal Kolo Muani. Despite a great game from Mbappé, however, PSG found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreline, and the visitors traveled home with all three points.
Although PSG has only played five Ligue 1 games so far, this loss is troublesome for Luis Enrique‘s side. Right now, PSG has only won two league games and is sitting in fifth place with just eight points. A win against Nice could have catapulted them to first in the league. With the loss, however, American Folarin Balogun and AS Monaco are currently perched on top of the table.
Despite dominating the game against Nice, PSG was relatively subdued in attack apart from Mbappé. While they dominated the possession battle 70-30, Nice had more shots and shots on target than PSG.
More troubling is the fact that this game was a home match for PSG. Although Nice is a capable team, this is the kind of match that PSG should win 10 times out of 10. If they cannot defeat Nice at home, how are they going to handle games against teams like high-flying AS Monaco, Marseille and Lille?
Yes, PSG is in a rebuilding year of sorts. They lost Lionel Messi to Inter Miami and Neymar to Saudi Arabia. They have a new manager and a vast amount of new players. However, PSG is expected to dominate Ligue 1, and right now, they look incredibly vulnerable in the league.
Hopefully for the French giants, this loss to Nice is just a one-off. Otherwise, Mbappé and Co. are in for a rough year.
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