Despite a decimated defence, PSG overcame Nice 2-1 at home. Goals from Guillaume Hoarau (20’) and Sammy Traoré (51’) saw the Parisians back to winning ways and back in the hunt for the title...
“Have confidence in the players that play,” was Paul Le Guen’s catch-cry all week. Denied the services of Sylvain Armand and Mamadou Sakho, injured, and Zoumana Camara and Jérôme Rothen, suspended, the Paris Saint-Germain coach delved into the club’s youth academy and offered starts to Larrys Mabiala and Tripy Makonda, while Jean-Eudes Maurice and Gaëtan Charbonnier took their place on the bench. Saturday’s results in Ligue 1 meant that PSG had no option but to attack and Les Niçois took advantage of that to create the early running with Olivier Echouafni heading against the woodwork from a David Hellebuyck corner(17’).
But PSG responded in kind, opening the scoring through their star striker Hoarau, netting his 16th of the season from close range after a parried shot from Ludovic Giuly (1-0, 20’). Without three-quarters of their regular back four, PSG had most certainly done the hard part against a Nice side without a win in their last five league outings.
Les Aiglons did, however, manage to equalise from an under-hit back-pass from Peguy Luyindula played in Loic Rémy (1-1, 35’). But with an electric Stéphane Sessegnon, as precious as ever and pushed on by the home crowd, PSG retook the lead from a corner, taken by the Benin international, and headed home by Traoré (2-1, 51’).
A third goal could have come when Luyindula was manhandled in the area in the 59th minute, but the referee, Monsieur Auriac, decided otherwise... In a frenetic finish, Giuly also had a presentable chance, but the former France ace fired straight at David Ospina in the visitor’s goal (79’). Just four days before facing Dynamo Kiev in Thursday’s UEFA Cup quarter-final (20:45), PSG keep pace with the leaders, just a point behind Bordeaux.
