PSG Fall to Nice as Unbeaten run ends (1-3)

The dream of an unbeaten season is over. In the opening match of Ligue 1’s Matchday 31, Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first defeat of the campaign, losing 3-1 to Nice at the Parc des Princes on Friday night. Already crowned champions since their April 5 win at Angers (1-0), Luis Enrique’s men were chasing history — hoping to become the first team ever to go a full Ligue 1 season unbeaten. That goal is now out of reach.

Against a well-organised and clinical Nice side, PSG faltered in a match that served as a dress rehearsal for their Champions League semi-final first leg at Arsenal on Tuesday. Despite a lively start and multiple early chances, it was the visitors who struck first. Former Marseille midfielder Morgan Sanson opened the scoring in the 35th minute, finishing off a swift counterattack.

Paris responded just six minutes later, as Ousmane Dembélé lofted a clever ball over the defence for Fabián Ruiz, who converted with his left foot from close range (41’). But their momentum was shattered almost instantly after the restart — Sanson grabbed his brace just 20 seconds into the second half with a volleyed finish from Jonathan Clauss’ cross.

The killer blow came in the 70th minute when Youssouf Ndayishimiye headed in a wide free kick, once again exposing PSG’s vulnerability on set pieces — an area Arsenal will surely look to exploit.

Despite a late Parisian surge led by Dembélé and Mbappé, former PSG keeper Marcin Bulka was immense, producing several key saves to keep the hosts at bay. Final score: 1-3.

Match Reaction 

PSG captain Marquinhos to DAZN: "We missed this match. Nice came with a very effective plan, they didn't give us much space. We missed the chances we had. They were effective. It was a missed opportunity. We don't like to lose, especially at home. Even though we're champions, these are points that count. It's an important moment in the season, it's not the time to have doubts. Even though we missed the game, we have to stay confident. There are important deadlines coming up, especially in terms of results. The goal was to win, we didn't succeed. We want to win everything, even though we're champions. There are good things, the coach will analyse it well. We're very demanding and we're going to continue to be so. In football, there are strategies. Arsenal are strong from set pieces. We'll try to do our best to get a result there. We've had a very good season so far, we'll keep working hard."

THE STAT: Nantes hold the record

By falling short, PSG also missed out on a symbolic milestone — beating or matching the longstanding Ligue 1 unbeaten run set by FC Nantes in 1995 (32 games). Paris’s run ends at 30. Fittingly, it was Nantes who had already slowed PSG’s momentum earlier in the week with a 1-1 draw.

As for Nice, it’s a big boost in the race for Europe, as they climb provisionally from 6th to 4th in the table.

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