Neymar Converts Penalty for 50th PSG Goal in 1-1 Draw vs. Nice

Neymar scored his 50th Paris Saint-Germain goal to salvage a 1-1 draw against Nice in Ligue 1 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday:

The first half was a tame affair with chances at a premium for both sides. Neymar tested Walter Benitez with an acrobatic effort early on, but the Nice goalkeeper made a comfortable save.

Nice posed a threat on the break, and Youcef Atal, Ignatius Ganago and Adrien Tameze all had efforts on goal but could not beat Alphonse Areola.

The hosts managed to take the lead almost straight from the restart. Dante's pass found Ganago down the left, and he smashed a fierce half-volley past Areola.

Nice ought to have doubled their lead just before the hour mark. Atal did brilliantly to tee up Ganago at the far post, but he could only hit the woodwork from close range when unmarked.

It was to prove a costly miss as PSG went down the other end and won a penalty when a sliding Patrick Burner brought down Angel Di Maria.

Neymar made no mistake with his spot-kick, coolly sending Benitez the wrong way to make it 1-1.

There was late drama when Neymar won a second penalty after Dante fouled him in stoppage time. This time Edinson Cavani took the kick, but he was denied by Benitez as the game ended all square.

PSG Need to Move on from Cavani

Paris Saint-Germain welcomed Cavani back into the starting XI for the first time since February, but the Uruguayan put in the sort of performance that suggests his time at the club is up.

His late penalty miss cost PSG victory as the French champions dropped points for the fifth time in six Ligue 1 games (U.S. only):

Cavani's frustrations were evident after his miss. He won a free-kick shortly afterward following a challenge from Christophe Herelle, and his angry response to the foul saw him booked:

The striker has only just returned to action after time out with a hip injury, but he struggled throughout the match, looking rusty and lacking in match sharpness.

Neymar and Di Maria caused Nice problems with their running on the ball and delivery into the front man, but his first touch was poor and ensured the hosts lacked a cutting edge in attack.

PSG Talk's Marc Damon offered his view:

Cavani also managed to put the ball in the back of the net with the score at 1-1. The Uruguayan latched on to a through ball and rounded Benitez, but his effort was rightly ruled out for offside. It was a mistake from Cavani, who ought to have left it for onside team-mate Dani Alves to finish.

The 32-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes in the summer and is said to be interested in a move to the Premier League, according to Kaustubh Pandey at Calciomercato.com.

Cavani has been a great servant for PSG and has helped the club dominate domestically, but it looks like it is time for the club to let the Uruguayan go and replace him.

What's Next?

PSG return to Ligue 1 action on Saturday at Angers, while Nice are at home to Nantes.