PSG vs. Nantes: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Match
Paris Saint-Germain thrashed FC Nantes 4-0 in the capital on Saturday as the Parc des Princes bid a fond farewell to star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In a fitting way to bow out, the super Swede scored twice to set one final record with the capital club as their most prolific player in a single Ligue 1 season with 38 goals.
Going into the match, Carlos Bianchi’s 37 goals in the 1977-78 campaign was the benchmark, but Ibrahimovic’s brace ensured that he set a new tally before enjoying the adulation of PSG’s supporters one final time.
Joining the 34-year-old on the scoresheet were Brazilians Lucas Moura and Marquinhos, securing a comfortable victory that meant a 96-point total in Le Championnat—and an ultimate 31-point advantage over second-placed Olympique Lyonnais.
Here are some winners and losers from PSG’s term-ending 4-0 win over Nantes.
Winner: Lucas Moura
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It was a good evening for Lucas, who will have had his confidence boosted by scoring a well-taken goal.
The Brazilian is in a fight with Edinson Cavani for a starting role against Olympique de Marseille in the Coupe de France final, and his strike two minutes before half-time will have enhanced his chances of starting at Stade de France next week.
Loser: Maxime Dupe
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It might sound harsh for those who watched the match to call Nantes goalkeeper Maxime Dupe a loser, but the Frenchman ultimately paid for his teammates' shortcomings.
The 23-year-old did not deserve to be on the receiving end of four PSG goals, but he was, so his handful of good saves will be largely forgotten.
Winner: Angel Di Maria
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It has been a tough last few weeks for Angel Di Maria, but the Argentina international rediscovered his Midas touch on Saturday.
El Fideo provided Ibrahimovic's and Lucas’ first-half goals and could have assisted a few more if other chances had been taken by various teammates.
Di Maria finishes his debut season in Ligue 1, having laid on 18 goals and scored 10.
Loser: Guillaume Gillet
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Guilty of a foul on Ibrahimovic early in the second half, which gave the PSG man a chance to score from a free-kick that he nearly accepted, the Belgium international was lucky not to have left his Nantes team with 10 men on the pitch by the end of the match.
Gillet went straight through Di Maria and was lucky to not be shown a second yellow card for such an overzealous challenge.
The 32-year-old endured a tough night in defensive midfield and was lucky that PSG did not rack up more goals on the night.
Winner: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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It was Ibrahimovic’s night and it ended in ideal fashion with the Sweden international scoring his 37th and 38th Ligue 1 goals of the season to set a new single term PSG record.
The 34-year-old was welcomed onto the pitch alone to rousing applause, had pre-match tifos dedicated to him and had the game paused so that the Parc des Princes crowd could give him a standing ovation. But he almost did not get the two things he wanted most.
Ibrahimovic opened the scoring after 18 minutes with a chested effort, but for most of the remaining 72 minutes, it looked as if the second would elude him.
Then, just as it seemed like Bianchi’s record would only be equalled and not broken, Javier Pastore found the talismanic striker’s head with an inch-perfect cross, and the PSG No. 10 had his final record in the capital.
It was a fitting way for Zlatan to bow out after four seasons of the highest quality with the French champions.
Loser: Michel Der Zakarian
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Nantes coach Michel Der Zakarian revealed a few weeks ago that he will not be leading the team next season, so the 4-0 defeat away at PSG was his final match in charge.
The Armenian tactician witnessed his players get brushed aside with relative ease by Les Parisiens, and he was unable to align a team capable of pooping the hosts’ and Zlatan’s party.
After four years in charge at Stade de la Beaujoire—in the time Les Canaris have earned promotion to Ligue 1 and stayed there—Der Zakarian should be back in work relatively soon after helping to restore the great club’s top-flight staple status.
