Nice v PSG – Diop looks for excuses: "There were some key moments…" | OneFootball

This Saturday evening for the 26th day of Ligue 1, OGC Nice hosted Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Riviera. And just a few days after their superb match against Chelsea, PSG came to demonstrate that there is a world of difference between them and their contenders. Thus, at the end of a match won 0-4 (see the Nice/PSG summary), the Parisians reclaimed the top spot in the standings with a game in hand, frustrating the OGCN players. Sofiane Diop, Nice's forward, reflected on their defeat and the difficulty of playing against Paris.

Diop: "It's complicated after this 4-0 defeat to replay the match"

Is there frustration because it's a heavy defeat?

Yes, we had a plan that was working, I think well. Then there are game incidents, I won't go back over them, it's up to the referee's interpretation. Even after this first goal, I think we were still in it. And I think we weren't realistic enough, we didn't make enough good moves in the last 30 meters.

Against this team, we have very few opportunities, and the plan was to go after them, to be quite ambitious, and in the end, it's difficult because we got a red card, and against this team, it's almost impossible to compete 10 against 11. There are many positives, we will have to fight to ensure our survival.

What's the hardest part when you play against PSG, the offensive work or the defensive work?

Both. Defensively, I had a specific instruction, which was to take on their playmaker. They quickly figured it out, and it worked at the start. And when we recover the ball, the most effective thing was to capitalize on it quickly because their strength is to counter-press quite rapidly.

That's where we were most in danger. We tried, and it worked well at the start, and we also opened up a lot. It's complicated after this 4-0 defeat to replay the match, but we have to take the positives from this match to move forward.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.