Kylian Mbappe was the saviour for Paris Saint-Germain as they left it late to beat a stubborn Nice side 2-1.
The France international wasn’t fit enough to start, but with the game not going to plan for Christophe Galtier’s side, he was introduced just shy of the hour-mark. The manager’s decision was rewarded when he bagged a winner seven minutes from time.
Lionel Messi’s sublime free-kick from the edge of the penalty area had given PSG lift-off in the 29th minute, a curling effort that left Kasper Schmeichel rooted to the spot.
At that stage, it seemed like PSG would coast to victory, such was their dominance. Neymar fired a free-kick over the bar while Messi stung the gloves of Schmeichel as the chances kept coming for the hosts, but they only had a goal to show for it at half-time.
And then the complexion of the game drastically changed. Having offered next to nothing in attack, Nice struck a leveller with their first shot on target, Gaetan Laborte capitalising on some slack defending to bury a chance from point-blank range.
Seemingly shell-shocked, PSG failed to really get going again and it appeared the hosts were going to drop points for just the second time this season.
But Mbappe, as he so often does, stepped up when it mattered to sweep home Mukiele’s pull-back to seal the win in the 83rd-minute.
