Reuters, Paris, September 15 – In Ligue 1 action on Friday, Nice attacker Terem Moffi scored twice and provided an assist as his team defeated Paris St. Germain 3-2, handing the hosts their first loss of the year.
PSG, which might have temporarily lead the rankings with a win, dropped to third with eight points as they prepare to play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.
They are two points off the league-leading AS Monaco, who will visit to Lorient on Sunday, and one point behind second-placed Nice, which is still unbeaten in the 2023–24 season.
Coach Luis Enrique described Nice as “a very difficult team with a very attractive game plan.”
Physically, I believe they were better than us, and they excelled in all counterattack scenarios.
Following Kylian Mbappe’s block inside the box, PSG took control of the first half. Ousmane Dembele took an early shot toward the top right corner but was stopped by Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
But the game quickly changed as Moffi gave Nice the lead by scoring low inside the near post in the 21st minute.
However, the visitors’ happiness was short-lived as Mbappe scored from the edge of the box to tie the score for PSG just before the half-hour mark. Bulka could only paw at the ball.
When Dembele fired a pass across the face of the goal, the Parisians regained control and had a chance to take the lead before halftime, but Mbappe was too late to tuck it away with a sliding tackle.
Instead, Nice’s forward Gaetan Laborde capitalized on outstanding ball control and a pass from a tight angle by Moffi to retake the lead for Nice after the break.
Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Sofiane Diop’s close-range attempt to give the visitors a quick third goal, but the PSG goalkeeper was helpless when Moffi took advantage of a mistake in the PSG defense to make it 3-1 with a low effort in the 68th minute.
Three minutes from time, Mbappe scored again for PSG with a shot that hit the ground and sailed inside the far post. This gave PSG new life.
Instead, Nice’s forward Gaetan Laborde capitalized on outstanding ball control and a pass from a tight angle by Moffi to retake the lead for Nice after the break.
Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Sofiane Diop’s close-range attempt to give the visitors a quick third goal, but the PSG goalkeeper was helpless when Moffi took advantage of a mistake in the PSG defense to make it 3-1 with a low effort in the 68th minute.
Three minutes from time, Mbappe scored again for PSG with a shot that hit the ground and sailed inside the far post. This gave PSG new life.
With two goals and an assist, Moffi surpasses Mbappe in Nice’s 3-2 victory over PSG.
With two goals and an assist, Terem Moffi outperformed Kylian Mbappé as Nice defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on Friday in the French league, handing the defending champion its first loss under new coach Luis Enrique.
Even though Mbappe also scored twice, PSG’s debut Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday was a concerning one for home supporters.
The Nigeria striker’s precise finishing once again highlighted PSG’s remaining defensive weaknesses. Nice’s superb counterattacking was perfectly suited to Moffi’s speed and wide runs off the ball.
PSG suffered a costly loss and now trails Nice by one point and Monaco, the league leader, by two points. Monaco plays at Lorient on Sunday.
With a strong run down the left and a precise cross to striker Gaetan Laborde at the far post, Moffi created Nice’s other goal.
In the 21st minute, Moffi gave Nice the lead by taking advantage of a bustle in the area to snipe a shot inside the near post past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Eight minutes later, Mbappé equalized as he fired a 20-meter shot past former PSG goalkeeper Marcin Buka.
But Moffi then set up Laborde for a sliding finish in the 53rd before getting the goal of the night in the 68th.
He adeptly flicked the ball to Laborde down the right before receiving the return pass and moving across the area to shoot low past Donnarumma into the bottom left corner while maintaining control of the ball in midfield with his back to goal.
He received a yellow card for his celebration, which included taking off his shirt and waving it over his head. Mbappé became enraged and they had a verbal argument around the midway point.
Front Randal Kolo Muani, who had previously been added as a replacement, helped to set up Mbappé’s close-range goal in the 87th minute. When Kolo Muani transferred from Eintracht Frankfurt to PSG for 95 million euros ($101 million), he became the third most expensive acquisition in the club’s history.
Only Neymar and Mbappé have a higher price tag.