MY ACCOUNT
Mauricio Pochettino has suggested Paris Saint-Germain’s defeat against Nice came down to misfortune more than anything else, after Andy Delort struck late to sink the Ligue 1 leaders.
The title frontrunners came up short against Christophe Galtier’s hosts at Allianz Riviera thanks to the Algerian striker’s late finish.
With the suspended Kylian Mbappe’s absence leaving Les Parisiens short in attack, they have now lost consecutive league games on the road for the first time since April 2019.
Pochettino admitted that his side had not done enough to claim victory, but maintained Nice had not earned their three points either, chalking it up as something of a sporting incident.
“We thought it was going to end in a draw because neither of them had done enough to win,” the Argentine stated in his post-game news conference.
“We had control of the game, especially in the second half, but we took a goal in transition and we lost. There’s not much to analyse. There are times when if you cannot win, you mustn’t lose.”
With a Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid to come, Pochettino was keen to re-focus thoughts towards the future, rather than dwell on Saturday’s result.
“We are preparing for a competition that everyone in Paris is waiting for and that everyone dreams of,” he added. “Wednesday will be a different game, a different opponent, a different competition. I have no doubts that we will play the game that we have to do”.
Having guided Lille to the top-tier crown last term before a shock exit, Galtier has set about returning Nice to the upper echelons of the domestic pyramid in the south of France.
His win over PSG notched his fourth consecutive clean sheet as a manager against Saturday’s opponents, while match winner Delort was one of his major signings last summer.
Speaking to Canal+ after the match, the Algeria striker was quick to heap praise on his coach too, stating: “He’s the best coach in Ligue 1 and I hope he’ll stay with us for a long time.”
