Paris Saint-Germain’s bid for an undefeated Ligue 1 season was surprisingly derailed on Friday as they suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Nice, just days before their crucial Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal.
Hoping to make history as the first French top-flight team to complete a season without a loss, PSG saw Morgan Sanson score twice for Nice, securing an unexpected victory for the visitors.
While Fabian Ruiz had equalised for PSG late in the first half, cancelling out Sanson’s opener, Sanson struck again immediately after the break, and Youssouf Ndayishimiye later added a third for Nice with a header.
Despite his team dominating possession (76%) and registering over 30 shots, PSG coach Luis Enrique felt the 3-1 scoreline was unfair but acknowledged it as part of football.
Before this match, PSG had gone 30 Ligue 1 games without defeat and hadn’t lost to a French opponent in their last 41 encounters since May of the previous year. This result prevents the already crowned Ligue 1 champions from matching the record for the longest unbeaten start to a French season, held by Nantes with 32 games in 1994/95.
PSG now face the challenge of quickly recovering from this setback as they travel to London to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, followed by the return fixture in Paris on May 7.
Despite the loss, Luis Enrique stated he wasn’t worried and that failing to break more records doesn’t change their Champions League ambitions.
He praised his team’s attacking intent and the exceptional performance of Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, whose saves proved crucial.
Sanson’s opening goal on his first start was cancelled out by Ruiz’s strike. However, Sanson’s second goal immediately after halftime and Ndayishimiye’s late header secured the win for Nice.
Notably, Nice had also defeated PSG in Paris the previous season and drawn with them earlier this campaign.
This victory significantly boosts Nice’s Champions League qualification hopes, moving them up to fourth place, level on points with Monaco in third.
Nice coach Franck Haise hailed the win as a significant achievement against a strong PSG side on their home ground.
