Nice striker Terem Moffi scored two goals and provided an assist to lead his team to a 3-2 victory over Paris St Germain (PSG) in Ligue 1 on Friday. This defeat marked PSG’s first loss of the season.
PSG, who were set to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, could have taken the top spot in the standings temporarily with a win but now sit in third place with eight points. Nice, on the other hand, remains undefeated in the 2023-24 season and is in second place with one point more than PSG. AS Monaco, the current leaders, will play against Lorient on Sunday with a two-point advantage over PSG.
Luis Enrique, PSG’s coach, commented on the challenging nature of the match, stating, “Nice were a very difficult team, with a very attractive game plan. Physically, I think they were superior to us, and then they were very good in all counterattack situations.”
In the first half, PSG seemed in control, with Ousmane Dembele’s early attempt on target denied by Nice’s goalkeeper, Marcin Bulka. Moments later, Kylian Mbappe’s shot was blocked inside the box. However, the game took a turn when Terem Moffi scored for Nice in the 21st minute, finding the net low inside the near post.
The joy for the visitors was short-lived as Kylian Mbappe equalized for PSG just before the half-hour mark with a powerful strike from the edge of the box. PSG had a chance to take the lead before halftime, but Mbappe missed a sliding tackle attempt to bundle the ball into the net from a pass by Dembele.
In the second half, Gaetan Laborde put Nice back in the lead with a close-range goal, taking advantage of a precise pass from Moffi. Gianluigi Donnarumma prevented PSG from conceding another goal with a save when Sofiane Diop attempted a close-range shot. However, Moffi managed to deceive PSG’s defense with a clever move and scored his second goal with a low shot in the 68th minute, extending Nice’s lead to 3-1.
Mbappe reignited PSG’s hopes with a late goal three minutes from the final whistle, with his shot bouncing off the ground before finding the far post. In the closing moments of the match, PSG made frantic efforts to salvage a draw but lacked the time and precision to do so.
Randal Kolo Muani, a substitute for PSG, praised Nice’s performance, saying, “It was a great Nice team in front of us. They managed to keep calm, play their football and then score goals.”
Notably, PSG had not lost any of their previous 13 home matches against Nice in all competitions. Meanwhile, Nice is among the four teams in Ligue 1 that remain undefeated this season, alongside Rennes, Olympique de Marseille, and Monaco.
