SONNA – Goals from Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos helped Paris Saint-Germain secure a much-needed 2-0 victory against Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Messi struck 26 minutes in at Allianz Riviera, before he supplied the cross from a corner for Ramos’ second-half header.
Victory was a first in three games for Christophe Galtier’s side after back-to-back defeats, although they were indebted to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as much as Messi.
Nice peppered the PSG goal either side of half-time, only to come away empty-handed against their former coach, suffering their first defeat under Didier Digard.
PSG had started the brighter, knowing a victory was required to restore a six-point cushion to second-placed Lens, and went close to an opener when Danilo Pereira’s header beat Kasper Schmeichel but bounced back out off the post.
Four minutes later, Messi made the breakthrough when he finished into the roof of the net from Nuno Mendes’ square pass inside the area.
Nice refused to back down, however, and Donnarumma made excellent saves to deny both Nicolas Pepe and Terem Moffi late in the first half.
That momentum continued into the second half, with Dante agonisingly close to a deserved equaliser when the ball bounced down off the crossbar and back out via the post without fully crossing the goal line.
Further Donnarumma saves followed, including another notable stop from Pepe shortly after Dante’s effort, and Nice were made to pay for their profligacy when Ramos rose highest at the other end to meet Messi’s corner.
Danilo then headed against his own crossbar in the closing stages, summing up Nice’s rotten luck.
Source(s): LS
