PARIS: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain strengthened their position at the top of the Ligue 1 table with a 3-1 win against Nice at the Parc des Princes yesterday.
Ibrahimovic gave the defending champions the lead shortly before the interval before adding a penalty early in the second period and then completing his hat-trick after Nemanja Pejcinovic had pulled a goal back for the visitors.
But if anyone is to prevent PSG from retaining their title, they will have to end the capital side’s remarkable run of not having lost over 90 minutes in 33 games since the start of March.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc made changes to the team that was held by Anderlecht, with Thiago Silva wearing the captain’s armband in his first start since suffering a thigh injury at the end of September and Javier Pastore also returning after a spell on the sidelines due to injury and loss of form.
And against a mid-table Nice side who had lost three of their last four games, the hosts dominated proceedings, although only after Dario Cvitanich had come within inches of converting a Christian Bruls cross at the other end early on.
Making his Ligue 1 debut in the Nice goal, Luca Veronese needed to be alert to prevent a Maxwell cross from sneaking in under his bar, and he later came off his line to deny Ibrahimovic. AFP
