PLAYER RATINGS | PSG 3-1 Nice: Mbappé scores in Coupe de France QF win

Much like the fixture’s namesake cycling classic, recent Paris-Nice encounters have played out at near-breakneck speeds. Les Aiglons had been the only team to defeat PSG at home this season across any competition, in a Terem Moffi-inspired 3-2 win back in September that was emblematic of what had been a full-throttle start to the Francesco Farioli era.

While PSG are once again clear of the Europe-chasing peloton in Ligue 1, they have struggled to carry over that dominance into domestic cup action in recent seasons. Consecutive round of 16 exits – including one at the Parc des Princes to tonight’s opponents, in 2022 – had been characteristic of the Parisians’ late-season breakdowns.

Tonight, PSG made sure to impose themselves early on. Predictably dominant in possession, the hosts opened the scoring within the first quarter of an hour, as Kylian Mbappé beat Marcin Bułka with a sliding finish after a one-two with Fabián Ruiz. Having only played 20 minutes in the weekend’s draw against Reims, the France captain looked particularly sharp in the opening exchanges, hitting the woodwork minutes after opening the score.

Ousmane Dembélé would be the catalyst for PSG’s second. Taking advantage of a heavy touch from Bułka, the Frenchman was able to reclaim the ball and square it to Fabián Ruiz for a straightforward finish to double the lead. While PSG’s lead was halved before the break – Gaëtan Laborde pulling one back after a driving run into the box from Boga – Luis Enrique’s men looked assured.

Having survived a few incisive moves from Les Aiglons early in the second half, the hosts eventually managed to double their lead through Lucas Beraldo’s first goal for the club. With Vitinha’s cross nodded on by his compatriot Dante, the