Paris back to winning ways on the Côte d'Azur

Get back into their groove and look forward to an exciting end to the season: that was the plan for the Parisians on the Côte d'Azur, as they played their fixture from Matchday 32 of Ligue 1. Despite already being crowned French champions and having nothing to play for on Wednesday evening, the Parisians wanted to use their final two league games to build some momentum and prepare for their final objective: the Coupe de France final. Facing a Nice side focused on the race for European places, Luis Enrique's side had a real test on their hands. The Spanish coach approached it with a reshuffled eleven. Without Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, the Parisians took to the pitch in a 4-3-3 formation, with the trio of Kang-in Lee, Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos up front.

There was a fascinating clash of styles on show on the South Coast. True to their DNA, the Red and Blues had every intention of showing their attacking intent, but they were up against a team with a reputation for its solid defence. It was a real game of chess that almost brought the home side joy (Thuram hit the post as early as the 5th minute), but in the end it went in the Parisians' favour. The Rouge et Bleu were efficient in their use of the ball, and Bradley Barcola broke the deadlock. It was a goal that showed the seriousness of the visiting team, with the youngster stealing the ball after some high pressure before firing a perfect shot past Bulka (0-1, 19').

Unstoppable, our Bradley swapped his goalscoring costume for that of a passer in a classy move a few minutes later. A jinxing run, showing off all his agility, left his man for dead before delivering the perfect pass to young Yoram Zague, who scored his first professional goal on his birthday (0-2, 23').

With their pride hurt, Les Aiglons soon began to fight back. The speed of their attacking wide players posed a threat, and Cho reduced the deficit (1-2, 33'). The Allianz Arena were pushing their team on to go toe-to-toe with the champions, forcing the Parisians to stay vigilant. However, our players stood firm and were able to rely on a save from Tenas (36‘) and an authoritative block from Marquinhos (39’) to stop the comeback until the end of the first half.

In this demanding game, the champions had no intention of taking their foot off the gas after the break. And who better to demonstrate this than the unstoppable Bradley Barcola? The Parisian winger raced down the flank like a high-speed train, causing Bard to be sent off after his tackle with a quarter of an hour remaining (75'). It was the ideal situation for the Parisians to manage their advantage intelligently. Then, Bradley Barcola wreaked havoc again with a shot that crashed off Bulka's upright. The constant pressure paid dividends in exhausting their opponents right up until the final whistle.

After a hard-fought match, Paris Saint-Germain continued their unbeaten run away from home in Ligue 1 to add another three points to their tally. The Red and Blues get back to winning ways before looking ahead to the end of the season. There are just two dates left to tick off on the calendar: a trip to Metz on Sunday for the 34th and final Matchday of Ligue 1, followed by a prestigious Coupe de France final against Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday 25 May...