PSG lose unbeaten Ligue 1 record ahead of Arsenal clash

Paris Saint-Germain's hopes of completing an unbeaten Ligue 1 season were dashed on Friday evening as they suffered a 3–1 home defeat to Nice, just days before their Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal.

PSG were aiming to become the first team in French top-flight history to go an entire season without losing, but Morgan Sanson scored twice for the visitors, with Youssouf Ndayishimiye adding a third, as Nice claimed a shock victory at the Parc des Princes.

Fabian Ruiz had equalised for PSG late in the first half after Sanson's opener, but the visitors stunned the hosts by regaining the lead just 22 seconds into the second half through Sanson once again. Ndayishimiye later sealed the win, heading in from a Badredine Bouanani free-kick with 20 minutes remaining.

"For me the result is not fair, but that's football – you have to accept it," PSG coach Luis Enrique said after the match. His side had dominated possession with 76 percent and registered over 30 attempts on goal but were repeatedly denied by an outstanding performance from Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.

The defeat ends PSG's 30-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1 this season and a 41-match unbeaten streak against French opposition, stretching back to a 3–1 home loss to Toulouse on 12 May last year.

Despite already securing a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title earlier this month, PSG miss out on equalling the record for the longest unbeaten start to a French top-flight season. That mark remains with Nantes, who went undefeated for 32 matches before suffering their only defeat during their 1994–95 title-winning campaign.

PSG must now refocus as they travel to London for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal on Tuesday, with the return leg at the Parc des Princes scheduled for 7 May.

"The possibility of beating a couple more records was an objective for us in these last few weeks," Luis Enrique admitted. "It wasn't to be, but it doesn't in any way change our objective of progressing to the Champions League final."

The Spaniard fielded a full-strength side against Nice but expressed no concern over the performance despite the loss. "What I saw, I would take that again in London on Tuesday and in the return leg. I am not worried at all. When you have a team that attacks, presses, runs, but just doesn't convert chances – that's football, and I accept it."

Sanson, making his first start of the season following injury, opened the scoring before Ruiz levelled from an Ousmane Dembélé assist. Early in the second half, Jonathan Clauss delivered the cross for Sanson's second, before Ndayishimiye completed the scoring.

Nice, who also defeated PSG in Paris last season and drew the reverse fixture earlier this campaign, significantly boost their own ambitions of Champions League qualification. They now sit fourth, behind Monaco on goal difference, and just a point off second-placed Marseille.

"It is quite an achievement to beat this PSG, especially with the season they are having, and on their own ground," said Nice coach Franck Haise.

Under the new format, the top three Ligue 1 teams qualify directly for the league phase of next season's Champions League, while the fourth-placed side enters via the preliminary rounds.