For daily sports information, please click on the top right corner to follow
At 4:15 a.m. Beijing time on February 1, a match in the 1/8 final of the French Cup was contested, and Paris Saint-Germain faced Nice at home. Pochettino lined up in a 433 formation for the match. Donalumma served as the starting goalkeeper. Dagba, Correll, Kimpembe and Mendes are paired at 4 defenders. Danilo Pereira, Verratti and Herrera make up the 3 midfield. The attacking combination of Messi, Icardi and Draxler joined forces. Mbappe and Paredes sat on the bench. Players such as Neymar, Di Maria, Wijnaldum, Ashraf and Ramos are all absent.
Messi wore the number 10 shirt in this game. After the opening, Paris Saint-Germain gradually controlled the rhythm of possession, but Nice was well prepared, although there was not much possession, but also to limit the attack of Paris Saint-Germain with a compact defense to the greatest extent. At the same time, Nice was able to create some good opportunities. Guyiri's forward shot from the edge of the penalty area was deflected. Verratti's volley from inside the box was slightly offside. Draxler's push was blocked off the line by the defender and Messi's shot was confiscated by the goalkeeper. At half-time, neither side was able to break the deadlock. Paris Saint-Germain had 67% possession in the first half, but only a pitiful 3 shots on goal, 1 on target. Nice had four shots on goal in the first half, one more than the home team, but he also failed to score.
The second half was easy to fight again. Kluivert Jr. got a great one-handed chance, but unfortunately he didn't take it and lost Donnarumma to block it. Pochettino was so distraught that he made a substitution in the 64th minute to replace the underperforming Icardi with Mbappe. Paris Saint-Germain became sharper after Mbappe came on. Verratti's shot was blocked, Kimpembe's shot was cleared off the line by the defender, Messi's shot was blocked by the defender and Mbappe's close-range shot was deflected. Regular time is still playing 0-0! The game had to go into a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, Nice goalkeeper Bulka performed well, saving penalty shots from Paredes and Simmons. The final score was set at 5-6! Paris Saint-Germain lost at home, was eliminated miserably, missed the French Cup quarterfinals, and broke out a big cold.
Paris Saint-Germain had 68% of the ball in this game, 10 shots on goal and 2 shots on target. Nice shot 3 of 7 shots on goal. Paris Saint-Germain, who played at home, did not show a superior standard. Pochettino was completely screwed up. This is the first time paris Saint-Germain has failed to reach the final of the French Cup since 2014, and Pochettino has set a record of eight years of humiliation. Messi's performance in this game is average, he has 2 shots on goal, although 4 successful passes are useless. For Messi, the failure to lead the team to promotion was a big blow. Mbappe played too little time and did not play a decisive role, and the two shots on goal did not translate into goals.