PSG vs. Nice: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Game

Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed the perfect preparation for their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash with Manchester City next Wednesday, thrashing OGC Nice 4-1 at Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

The insatiable Zlatan Ibrahimovic set Laurent Blanc’s men on their way after 15 minutes, and the super Swede finished the match with three goals to his name. David Luiz joined him on the scoresheet, as Les Parisiens showed no signs of a hangover after the recent international break.

Three minutes after opening the scoring for PSG, Nice were level through a superb Hatem Ben Arfa solo effort. That was as good as it would get for Les Aiglons, though, and the French champions ultimately eased home past Claude Puel’s side.

After a 2-0 reverse at home to AS Monaco just before the international break, the men from the capital were running the risk of suffering a second consecutive home defeat for the first time since 2011 against an in-form Nice side.

However, the hosts rose to the occasion and did enough to efficiently dispatch the Cote d’Azur outfit.

Winner: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

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The super Swede’s superlative season just keeps getting more and more impressive. Ibrahimovic scored his second hat-trick of the campaign and second treble in his last three Ligue 1 appearances.

Added to the four goals and an assist that he contributed in the 9-0 savaging of ESTAC Troyes to clinch a fourth consecutive Championnat crown for PSG, the 34-year-old now has seven goals and an assist from his last three league outings.

Zlatan’s third of the afternoon against Nice might have been made easy by Adrien Rabiot’s good run and pass, but his first, which demonstrated some exquisite control and a clinical finish, and his second, which was a rocket of a free-kick, were far from simple goals.

Loser: Yoan Cardinale

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Although he did not do that much wrong in his performance, Nice goalkeeper Yoan Cardinale had to pick the ball out of the back of his own net four times.

The 22-year-old was on the receiving end of an Ibrahimovic masterclass, and he—along with the rest of Les Aiglons’ defence—was powerless to prevent the Swedish master from running riot.

Despite a humiliating afternoon in the capital, Cardinale can still feel pleased with the fact that he has made the starting role in Puel’s side his own since last November.

Winner: Hatem Ben Arfa

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He might have been on the losing side in a 4-1 thrashing at Parc des Princes, but Nice’s Hatem Ben Arfa put in an impressive performance for the visitors.

Viewed as something of a potential audition for the France international with a summer move away from the Cote d’Azur expected, the 29-year-old still managed to catch the eye in defeat.

Ben Arfa scored a magnificent equaliser for Les Aiglons—even if parity was only temporary—and he took the opportunity to display a fine array of tricks and flicks to awe the Parc des Princes crowd.

Perhaps the PSG supporters will be cheering him on in their own colours next season.

Loser: Claude Puel

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Once again, Puel failed to set his team up to deal with the threats that PSG posed.

Ibrahimovic, admittedly, is impossible to contain in such irrepressible form, but three of Les Parisiens’ four goals on the day were avoidable.

Zlatan’s opener was spectacular and there was nothing the Nice defence could do to prevent it. The free-kick for the Swede’s second, Luiz’s header from a corner and Ibrahimovic’s third were all avoidable.

Had Puel set his team up with more emphasis on frustrating PSG, Les Aiglons might have enjoyed similar success to the likes of Lille OSC and Montpellier HSC.

Winner: David Luiz

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It was a bizarre afternoon for David Luiz. The Brazil international was pretty average defensively but was a threat going forward.

The 28-year-old produced a beautiful ball over the top for Ibrahimovic’s first and joined the talismanic PSG No. 10 on the scoresheet in the second half with a glancing header from a Hervin Ongenda corner.

Luiz nearly added a second assist moments after he found the net himself, but Zlatan saw his effort blocked on the line.

Aside from a second-half knock, the South American will be pleased to have contributed positively after a string of disappointing displays.

Loser: Valere Germain

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It was a frustrating afternoon for Valere Germain in the Nice attack. Starved of opportunities, the Frenchman only got one sight of goal over the 90 minutes.

When that chance arrived, Germain at least got his shot on target. However, the 25-year-old found PSG’s Kevin Trapp in sharp form.

Germain will feel that with a few chances created by his teammates, that he could have helped to produce a different scoreline.