Lionel Messi Fails to Impress as Psg Knocked out Of French Cup on Penalties

• Lionel Messi returned for PSG but could not inspire his side to a triumph in the French Cup as Nice proceeded to the quarter-finals
• The game boiled down to penalties after a goalless 90 minutes, with Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka the hero on Monday, January 31
• Nice have also been impressive in Ligue 1 this season, as they sit second on the log; 11 points behind the leaders

Paris Saint Germain were dramatically knocked out of the French Cup as their hopes of retaining the domestic piece of silverware were ended by Nice.

In a game that ended goalless in normal time, Nice went on to win 6-5 in the penalty shootout.

Goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, on loan at Nice from PSG, made two excellent saves to Leandro Paredes and teenager Xavi Simons to ultimately end the Parisians’ domination in the cup.

After the win, Nice are now set for a showdown against Olympique de Marseille, following the draw that was conducted on Monday, January 31.

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How the game went

PSG were in their typical dominating form in the game, although the first half was fairly uneventful, with very little to offer in the way of chances.

The home side however turned up the style in the second half, with the likes of Julian Draxler, Mauro Icardi, Lionel Messi, Marco Verratti and Kylian Mbappe all having chances.

Notably, Mbappe started on the bench and was only introduced at the hour mark.

By the time the Frenchman came on, Nice’s defence had already racked up confidence from keeping PSG’s potent attack in check at that point in the game.

The closest PSG came to scoring was when Presnel Kimpembe had an effort cleared off the line from a set-piece in the 71st minute.

Penalties

In the shootout, Marcin Bulka was in impressive form as he kept out two efforts as Nice’s Dante scored a cheeky Panenka penalty to set his side up for a famous victory.

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Bulka’s save on midfielder Xavi Simons’ penalty ultimately confirmed the win for Nice, as PSG missed the chance to march to an eighth straight final in the competition.