Paris Saint-Germain lost 1-0 to AS Nancy-Lorraine on Sunday, but they kept the top spot in Ligue 1 on goal-difference.
Nancy fullback Jean Calve scored the winner with a curling shot into the top corner in the 49th minute.
The result made PSG coach Antoine Kombouare’s position more fragile after club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said anything other than the league title would be a failure.
Photo: Reuters
“We’re not proud because it’s a match we should have won,” PSG midfielder Nene said. “The team played well, but we lacked the finishing touch.”
The defeat ended PSG’s 12-game unbeaten run in the league, but PSG sporting director Leonardo was quick to come to Kombouare’s rescue after the match.
“The situation remains the same,” Leonardo said. “Kombouare still has the entire trust of the club. There’s no problem.”
PSG dominated possession, but struggled to create clear-cut chances, while Nancy played with a defensive 5-4-1 formation, hoping to capitalize on their few counterattacking chances.
PSG put Nancy under pressure in the opening minutes.
Brazilian midfielder Nene set up Blaise Matuidi with a backheel flick in the second minute, but Nancy goalkeeper Guy Ndy Assembe parried Matuidi’s low drive.
Nene then provided a cross for Kevin Gameiro in the fourth minute, but the France international headed over the bar. Nene cut inside a minute later to hit a curling shot that was stopped by Ndy Assembe.
Nancy threatened in their first counterattack after six minutes, but PSG goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu punched away fullback Reynald Lemaitre’s powerful strike.
Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore made no impact on the game, his only noticeable efforts being a tame curling shot in the 27th minute that Ndy Assembe easily caught and a long-range drive that sailed wide in the 52nd minute.
Nancy took advantage of a passive PSG defense to open the scoring just after the restart. Lossemy Karaboue slipped the ball to Calve, who found the top corner with his shot. A dejected Sirigu banged the woodwork with his studs.
Nancy nearly added a second goal in the 67th minute. Calve hoisted a free-kick into the PSG box, but Sirigu tipped over a close-range header from Nancy centerback Andre Luiz.
“We knew we would have a few counterattacking opportunities,” Calve said. “We showed solidarity at the back. We managed to protect our lead and that allowed us to have the three points tonight.”
The victory helped Nancy move out of the relegation zone.
PSG’s best chance came in the 79th minute when midfielder Mathieu Bodmer knocked the ball down for Gameiro, but the France international’s flick bounced off the bar.
Assembe protected Nancy’s lead with an outstanding save in the 82nd minute. The Cameroon goalkeeper dived to stop a low drive from Nene, before crawling on the ground to deny Bodmer, who had pounced on the rebound.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Stade Brestois 29 and Valenciennes both won to move away from the relegation zone.
Brest beat 10-man Sochaux-Montbeliard 2-0, while Valenciennes rallied from a goal down to beat AJ Auxerre 2-1.
Brest midfielder Bruno Grougi converted a penalty in the 68th minute after Sochaux defender Mathieu Peybernes had fouled Eden Ben Basat — earning himself a red card in the process. Striker Nolan Roux pulled the ball back for substitute Romain Poyet to double the lead from close range in the 80th minute.
In Valenciennes, Burkina Faso midfielder Alain Traore beat goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau in the 34th minute to notch his seventh goal of the season and put Auxerre ahead, but Valenciennes defender Nicolas Isimat-Mirin leveled by heading in a cross from Renaud Cohade in the 59th minute and forward Mamadou Samassa fired the winner in the 79th minute.
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