Paris Saint-Germain and Nice faced off this Saturday at the Allianz Riviera in Matchday 27 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. The match ended in a 4-0 victory for PSG. After the game, Nice coach Claude Puel spoke at a press conference. He notably addressed the penalty that led to the opening goal, which he clearly didn’t take well.
Puel: “It was an interesting match, a good first half.”
What role did the refereeing play in the defeat?
The role you would attribute to it in the outcome. What can I say? I thought it was an interesting match, a good first half. It was hard-fought, there were tactical aspects, and quality on both sides. When we had the ball, we were able to maneuver well, we created some interesting danger, we had chances.
I think we perhaps had more than them in the first half. We also had some good set pieces. We were very close to opening the scoring and taking the lead in this match. Then, it was a turning point to concede another goal like that just before halftime, which didn’t reward the good performance we had put in. If you like, we can go over that play again.
Puel: “The red card sealed the fate of the match.”
But then we didn’t start the second half well; there wasn’t enough aggression. We let this team dictate the game too much, set the tempo, and hurt us with their quick attacks. At 2-0 against this team, it becomes difficult; they control the game well, they know how to draw the opposition in and counter-attack. The red card sealed the fate of the match.
Puel: “I find it completely illegitimate that we were penalized.”
What do you think of the penalty? Is it an aberration?
No, but honestly, I’d say that in this instance, VAR completely distorts what we expect from this tool. It should be more than just a way to punish a team; it should be about preventing a decision that would be unfavorable. Here, we see a shot on a player who’s trying to turn, who isn’t even looking at the ball. It’s a shot practically at point-blank range that’s going out of bounds.
No one on the pitch is expecting anything from this play, and it ruins a good first half. So yes, it hurts. If we want to get to the bottom of this, I’d like to see the corner taker slip, and if you look closely at his standing foot, he touches the moving ball, and his other foot makes the cross. It’s absolutely insane.
If we’re going to use VAR, we’re going to use it all the way. This isn’t the first time since I arrived. We’ve had opponents who haven’t been penalized, and I think that’s perfectly legitimate. Just as I think it’s completely illegitimate for us to be penalized.
