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Messi was superb for PSG as they overcame Nice in a crucial Ligue 1 victory
Lionel Messi scored and assisted in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win over Nice in Ligue 1 which snapped Les Parisiens' run of two consecutive losses in the league and kept up their lead in the title race with six points separating them and the nearest contenders.
Messi opened the scoring for PSG with a brilliant finish from Nuno Mendes' assist in the middle of the first half.
The diminutive Argentine was also on hand to help PSG double the lead when his corner kick was met by a Sergio Ramos header to make it 2-0 against Nice late in the second half.
Nice were promising in spells throughout the match, but were never able to make a mark on their visitors, as they were condemned to their first Ligue defeat since the start of January, 12 games ago.
The win left PSG with a six-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table, while Nice dropped two places to eighth in the league as their hopes of reaching European football next season were dashed.
How it happened
PSG were hoping to do the double over Nice after winning the first leg 2-1 at the Parc des Princes.
Les Parisiens started the game very much on the front foot, with Messi, Marquinhos, and Carlos Soler all trying their luck with efforts inside the first 15 minutes.
The visitors continued to pressure Nice and eventually got their opener through the Argentine magician Messi, who stole into the Nice penalty area to finish off Nuno Mendes’ cut-back.
With the lead in the bag, PSG became more conservative and saw out the first half with a 1-0 lead.
After the break, Nice started to show some impetus and outclassed their visitors in most aspects of the game, coming close to an equaliser on a number of occasions.
Brazilian defender Dante was the closest to a Nice goal after his header beat PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma but came back off the post to keep the league leaders ahead in the game.
PSG made Nice pay for their profligacy as Lionel Messi’s corner kick found Sergio Ramos to make it 2-0 for Les Parisiens.
Nice continued to press PSG after the goal in search for an equaliser but had Donnarumma in goal for PSG to deal with, and the Italian was not in the mood to concede.
In the end, his heroics were enough to keep a clean sheet and earn the three points that saw them improve their grasp on the 2022/23 Ligue 1 title despite a number of dropped points along the way.
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