Paris Saint-Germain Endure Nervy 2-1 Victory over Nice

After a brutal three-game stretch in the span of a week, Paris Saint-Germain hosted OGC Nice at the Parc des Princes Wednesday.

The stands were far from full at kick-off, thanks in large part to the early 7 p.m. (CET) start time, but a capacity crowd of 38,000 had filtered in by halftime.

Nice had enjoyed surprising success away to PSG in recent years, earning a 0-0 draw in 2010-11, and seizing a narrow victory off a Loic Remy winner in their 2009-10 trip.

The Cote d'Azur side has found the newest season to be rough going, however, having only managed five points from their opening six Ligue 1 encounters.

Their current difficulties were in full view Wednesday, as PSG came out firing on all cylinders.

Matheiu Bodmer—one of three changes made from Sunday's lineup against Evian Thonon-Gaillard—who, after collecting a cutback from Kevin Gameiro, nearly had the home side ahead on two minutes, but couldn't keep his left-footed volley down, instead watching it sail harmlessly over Nice keeper David Ospina's goal.

The fans in attendance showed their appreciation of this new-found first-half exuberance. Resounding chants and cheers carried through even the television speakers.

For a side that had never been ahead at half-time so far in 2011-12, this was a marked improvement in terms of industry and attacking intent.

A frantic goal-mouth scramble at the cusp of 15 minutes saw Javier Pastore denied at point-blank range by Ospina. Undeterred, PSG had their tails up, and continued their domination.

The Parisiens bossed the first 25 minutes, spreading play wonderfully. Nice could only hope for scraps on the counterattack, and though they pressed forward a couple times, they provided little in the way of any organized foray forward.

Conceding possession to PSG, Nice instead packed the midfield, using rugged defense to disrupt the Parisien playmakers' rhythm.

Pastore, a renowned slow-starter himself so far in Ligue 1 play, had three gilt-edged opportunities on goal in the span of 10 minutes (from 15 to 25). His third attempt was his best—a blistering left-footed strike from the top of the penalty area that was heading for Ospina's near corner, only for the Colombian international to parry it away for a corner.

The 22-year-old former Palermo man was at his industrial best in the first half. With his head constantly swiveling, eyes darting about the pitch, he spread play well and looked well up for the task at hand.

In the 35th minute, the Parisiens were finally rewarded for their impressive debut. An extravagant bit of link-up play around the periphery of the 18, redolent with deft back-heels and flicks, ended in Nice defender Drissa Diakite chopping down PSG winger Nene, resulting in a well-deserved penalty.

What ensued was quite interesting.

Gameiro walked over to pick up the ball, signaling his intent to take the spot kick. Nene then rushed over and forcefully grabbed the ball from Gameiro, much to the latter's chagrin. The expression on Gameiro's face said it all: he was furious with his teammate's comportment.

Antoine Koumbouare was beside himself on the sideline, whistling frantically, but it was difficult to see just whom he wanted to take the penalty.

It ended up being Nene, and to his credit, the Brazilian dispatched a perfect penalty past Ospina into the low left corner of the goal.

1-0 at halftime. Asked by an on-field reporter about the Gameiro incident, Nene instinctively demurred, and hailed the team's chemistry.

As the second half started, however, it was evident that something had been said in the locker room to both players. As if to atone for his vainglorious antics, Nene made a concerted effort to pick out Gameiro with passes.

Nice were much livelier in the second, looking dedicated in their efforts to get an equalizer. In the 61st minute, they were rewarded for their intent.

PSG right-back Christophe Jallet conceded a cynical penalty on striker Eric Mouloungui. Luciano Monzón stepped up and scored on an effort similar to Nene's own 25 minutes earlier.

Undeterred by this latest setback, Paris immediately set out to find a response, and they would get it from their talisman Pastore within 10 minutes.

The Argentine skipped past a defender on the edge of the Nice penalty area before lifting the ball over a sliding Fabrice Abriel, who could do nothing other than handle the ball to prevent Pastore from going in on goal alone.

Another penalty, and this time it was Gameiro who stepped up. He made no mistake in his own spot kick, and made it 2-1 in the 71st minute.

The celebration was quite telling. Nene was the first to congratulate Gameiro, and the two embraced as they saluted the Parc des Princes crowd. It was a perfect example of Public Relations 101, and no doubt the two had conferred about repairing the PR mess they'd made just before halftime.

Though Jallet would be sent off with a second yellow, followed by Monzón minutes later, Nice still looked up for another equalizer.

Paris were playing with fire, but in the end they avoided being burned.

It was another three points for the capital side, thrusting them to fourth in the Ligue 1 standings, two points behind leaders Montpellier. The result took on even greater importance considering Lyon's slip-up away to Caen (1-0). PSG are now level with Les Gones at 14 points.

PSG next travel to Montpellier for Saturday's immense early-season clash between the top-four sides.

Gameiro might have foreseen the bust-up with Nene when he said pre-match: "I don't expect anything to be sorted out in the space of a few weeks' time."

This Parisien project will certainly take time, and egos will certainly clash, as injured striker Guillaume Hoarau has predicted.

For now, however, they're looking pretty good.