Paris Saint-Germain beat 10-man Nice 2-1 on the road in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, leaving the hosts with no chance of a top-four finish.

Bradley Barcola opened the scoring for Luis Enrique's side in the 18th minute and 18-year-old Yoram Zague added a second just five minutes later.

Nice managed to get on the scoreboard before the break as some slack PSG play allowed Jeremie Boga to play through Mohamed-Ali Cho to finish.

However, their hopes of an equaliser were dashed when Melvin Bard was sent off in the 75th minute for a dreadful foul on Barcola, who produced a lively performance in place of Kylian Mbappe, who was rested by Luis Enrique as the French champions prepare for life without him.

PSG, who have already clinched the title and are preparing for the Coupe de France final against Lyon on May 25, have 73 points, while Nice are fifth on 54 points. 

With one match now remaining, Nice are four points behind fourth-placed Brest, ensuring they cannot qualify for the Champions League.

Data Debrief: Memorable day for Zague

Zague could hardly have chosen a better moment to score his first PSG goal, doing so on his 18th birthday.

He is the youngest player to score on his birthday in Ligue 1 in the last 75 years. 

Kylian Mbappe's passion, mentality and drive are the fundamental factors that make him so special, according to France legend Thierry Henry. 

Les Bleus' skipper is heavily linked with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid after it was officially announced last week that he will depart Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this campaign.

Mbappe leaves Parc des Princes as the club's all-time leading scorer, while he has just been named Ligue 1's Player of the Year for a fifth successive season, and is set to top the goalscoring charts for a sixth year running.

Still only 25 years old, he has already played in two World Cup finals - lifting the trophy in 2018 and scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 showpiece as France lost out to Argentina on penalties - and won six domestic titles. 

Mbappe has also scored 46 goals in 77 caps for Les Bleus, trailing only Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (57) on their all-time list, and will look to add the European Championship to his list of honours when he leads his country into the 2024 tournament next month.

Saluting the forward in a new BBC documentary entitled 'Mbappe', Henry said: "The great champions have something in them that I cannot describe.

"When you're a champion, you have to bring something to the table, something extra that is not normal, and that he has. The higher you go, the less normal you are.

"When it comes to this mentality and will, champions do have something that is a bit different to others.

"What I can see in this guy is passion, the will and the love of the game. If you do what needs to be done with those tools, then you're unstoppable.

"What he has achieved already, some people didn't do that in their careers, and they were outstanding players."

There are many similarities between Henry and Mbappe, most notably their styles of play with explosive attacking flair and electric speed. Both grew up in the Paris suburbs, started their senior careers at Monaco and went on to win the World Cup with France.

And the 46-year-old offered a closer insight into what makes the PSG forward on another level to his contemporaries.

"What I see is the same will of wanting to succeed," he analysed. "I don't care about anything else if you don't have that will, that drive - and Kylian has that in abundance. What makes him so special for me is easy; he thinks.

"People always talk about his speed. I know a lot of players that are fast, but can they play football at that level? No. Can they score? Can they run as fast as he does with the ball?

"Can you still see the game when you're running at full speed? You need to have a lot of tools in order to do that, and he's also clever.

"Of course, he has to work on stuff, he's still young and people forget that. He's not yet a finished article. Are you ever a finished article, whether it's in life or football?"

Paris Saint-Germain will use their final Ligue 1 matches of the season to prepare for the Coupe de France final, so says Luis Enrique.

PSG were beaten at home by Nice early in the season, and are away to the same opposition on Wednesday for their penultimate league game.

Having sealed the Ligue 1 title, PSG failed to overcome Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals, losing 2-0 on aggregate.

While a visit to Wembley on June 1 evaded them, PSG do have the chance to claim another trophy when they take on Lyon in the Coupe de France final on May 25.

When asked if PSG wanted revenge for their loss to Nice earlier in the campaign, Luis Enrique told reporters: "No, not at all to be honest, it is not about revenge, they played very well.

"I congratulated them at the time, there is no desire for revenge.

"They are fully motivated because they are trying to play in Europe next season. For us, the situation is linked to the Coupe de France final. Everyone here should be motivated. Every game at this club matters, there are no friendly games."

PSG lost their second league game of the season on Sunday at home to Toulouse, but are still unbeaten away from home in Ligue 1 this season. Again, Luis Enrique is unconcerned with this statistic.

"I am not bothered about that," he said.

"What is important is that the players who play do so and represent the French capital and the fans in the best way."

Last week, Kylian Mbappe confirmed his departure from PSG at the end of the season, but Luis Enrique gave a rather cryptic answer when asked by a Spanish reporter about the player's possible future with Real Madrid.

"Today it's raining, but it's also a very beautiful day because you can feel this different air," Luis Enrique said with a smile.

"It reminds me of Gijon where I am from. I think I have answered your question."

Kylian Mbappe backed Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Ousmane Dembele to fill his boots when he exits the club, after winning his fifth successive Ligue 1 Player of the Year award.

The France captain announced last week he will leave the Ligue 1 champions at the end of this season after seven years at the Parc des Princes, during which he became their all-time top scorer with 256 goals.

Mbappe has been heavily linked with a blockbuster move to LaLiga champions Real Madrid, but has thus far remained tight-lipped on where his future lies. 

Either way, when he departs the club, the 25-year-old is confident his void can be filled by compatriot Dembele, who arrived from Barcelona last August and has recorded the joint-most assists during his maiden French top-flight campaign, with eight.

"I have shared and played with incredible players, like Dembele who is here, he is a friend and one day he will pick up this award," Mbappe said at the ceremony, where he extended his record haul of Player of the Year crowns.

"I thank the club as a whole, the coach, who has helped me and trusted me, his staff, the doctors, all the people at the club, the sporting management, the president, the shareholders of the club. I have always tried to do my best.

"Now, I'm turning the page in my life. Everything that comes next is super exciting, but that's another subject.

"I know that it was very important to my father that I made history in Ligue 1 before I left. I think that, with humility, I have done everything [he] wanted."

Defender Layvin Kurzawa will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season after nine years with the Ligue 1 giants, he announced on Monday.

Left-back Kurzawa joined PSG from Monaco in 2015 for €23million and has made 154 appearances for the Parisiens. 

However, the 31-year-old has fallen out of favour in recent years and has played just eight minutes in one match throughout the 2023-24 campaign.

Kurzawa was loaned out to Premier League club Fulham in the 2022-23 season after not playing for the French side for more than 11 months, but he made just six appearances for the English outfit.

"I've had some great times, as well as some tough ones," he wrote in a post on X. "But I want you to know that my love for Paris Saint-Germain is sincere.

"I know that our relationship has sometimes been complicated, but I want you to know that I can only take back the positive and that I have been privileged to have called the Parc des Princes my home for all these years."

Kurzawa's announcement comes after Kylian Mbappe played his final home game for PSG on Sunday, a 3-1 defeat to Toulouse. 

Mbappe is widely expected to join Champions League finalists Real Madrid after opting not to activate a one-year extension clause in the big-money deal he signed with PSG in 2022.

Luis Enrique says he did not hear any jeers aimed towards Kylian Mbappe as the superstar forward bode farewell to Paris Saint-Germain fans.

Mbappe, a PSG player since 2017, confirmed this week he will leave the Parc des Princes when his deal expires at the end of the campaign.

The club's all-time leading goalscorer had a chance to say goodbye to supporters in PSG's final home game of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday.

Whistles and boos were heard from the stands as Mbappe's name was announced prior to the match with Toulouse, which ended in a 3-1 defeat.

However, head coach Luis Enrique insists the reception the France international received was only positive.

"I didn't hear any booing," he said after the game. "I heard lots of support. All I heard was applause, chants and joy.

"I think it was what Kylian deserved. The fans were superb, as always. He is undoubtedly a legend of the club despite his youth.

"I saw the tifo of the ultras. It seems to me that it was very beautiful and very significant and I am happy that it happened like that.

"It is recognition of the work of a player of his category. It was a perfect evening and the supporters was, as always, superb."

Mbappe gave PSG the lead against Toulouse, but the visitors struck three times to inflict a third straight loss on the Parisians in all competitions.

Luis Enrique has made a habit of substituting the prolific forward in league games, or not starting him, but that was not the case against Toulouse.

The 25-year-old, who is widely expected to join Real Madrid, played the full 90 minutes in the already-crowned French champions' latest loss. 

Explaining that decision, Luis Enrique said: "I didn't take Kylian out because every time I did, it irritated some people. 

"I told myself we had to make him play 90 minutes. If I had made him come out after 85 minutes for an ovation, some would have been angry."

Paris Saint-Germain were stunned in a 3-1 home defeat by Toulouse on Sunday, as the newly-crowned champions suffered only their second loss in Ligue 1 this season.

Luis Enrique's side struggled for form after their midweek Champions League semi-final loss to Borussia Dortmund, falling again at home to remain on 70 points from 32 games, six clear of second-placed Monaco.

Kylian Mbappe, who confirmed on Friday that he will leave PSG at the end of the season, opened the scoring after eight minutes with a fine finish into an open goal following a pinpoint pass from goalkeeper Arnau Tenas.

Toulouse equalised five minutes later through Thijs Dalling, who coolly slotted home from close range before Yann Gboho put the visitors ahead with a superb curling effort into the top right corner in the 68th minute.

Frank Magri's stoppage-time strike sealed the win for Toulouse, who are 10th in the standings with 43 points.

Data Debrief: PSG’s defensive problems

PSG have now gone 11 home games without a clean sheet in Ligue 1, equalling their longest such run in their history in the top flight (also 11 in October 1978-May 1979).

Having suffered an unexpected defeat here, PSG also missed the chance to match their second-longest unbeaten run in the league (27 between August 1993 and April 1994), behind the 36 across March 2015 and February 2016.

Keylor Navas has confirmed that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Navas joined PSG in 2019, making 113 appearances for the club while keeping 51 clean sheets. He won nine major honours with the French club, including three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France medals. He also collected a Champions League runner-up medal in 2019-20.

Navas served as the first-choice goalkeeper for the first two seasons but has struggled for playing time since Gianluigi Donnarumma joined the club in 2021.

Since returning to PSG after a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, Navas has made just three Ligue 1 appearances this campaign.

In a statement on social media, Navas confirmed that he would be leaving the French capital and will use their home game against Toulouse on Sunday to say goodbye to the fans.

He said: “Every second spent at the Parc des Princes was wonderful.

“Thank God, I have always felt love and encouragement.

“It was an honour to defend this badge in this incredible stadium.

“I still have some goals to accomplish, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say goodbye to what used to be my home.”

His departure follows the news that Kylian Mbappe will also be leaving the Ligue 1 champions, with the forward making his announcement on Friday. 

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said he was proud to have had Kylian Mbappe in his team and understood the club's all-time leading scorer's decision to end his seven-year stay.

Mbappe, whose contract expires this season, announced his departure in a video on Friday after months of speculation about his future.

"All I can say is marvellous things about Kylian Mbappe as a footballer and person," Luis Enrique told reporters on Saturday.

"I understand his decision. He has been here for seven years and is a club legend. He has given everything to this club, and this club has given him everything as well. I wish him all the best for the future.

"I have been proud to have him in this team. He has helped us and is a leader, and he has done so with a smile on his face."

But losing Mbappe, who has scored 255 goals for PSG in all competitions and won six Ligue 1 titles with them, will not change things at the club, according to Luis Enrique.

"These are things that we have known for a long time... it was only made public yesterday," he said.

"But it doesn't change anything in terms of our general outlook. Everything will stay the same.

"Regardless of those who are here or who are absent, my aim is to be stronger next season."

Luis Enrique said exiting the Champions League after losing to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals still hurt, and it was important for PSG to end the season by winning the Coupe de France final against Lyon on May 25.

He added: "PSG will continue to be a great team, and we'll get even better. We will bring in players with strong mentality and players who identify with the club... that's how life works."

PSG, who have won the Ligue 1 title for the third time in a row, host 12th-placed Toulouse on Sunday, which will be Mbappe's last home game for them.

Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.

Mbappe, who joined PSG on a permanent deal from Monaco in 2018 after spending a season on loan, has made 305 appearances for the club, scoring 255 goals, 42 of which came in European competition.

The 25-year-old helped them win Ligue 1 six times, including this season, three Coupe de France titles and two Coupe de la Ligue trophies.

Mbappe, who is out of contract this year, will not be staying at the Parc des Princes at the end of the season, with reports suggesting he could join Real Madrid.

In a message posted on his social media channels, Mbappe said: "I've always said that I would speak with you when the time comes, and so I wanted to announce to you all that it's my last year at Paris Saint-Germain.

"I will not extend, and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.

"I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday."

"It's a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world, which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player by being alongside some of the best in history, to meet a lot of people and to grow as a man with all the glory and the mistakes I've made.

"I want to thank the teammates, all of the teammates that I had. All the coaches, Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe Galtier and Luis Enrique.

"It's hard, it's hard and I never thought it would be this difficult, to announce that to leave my country, France, the Ligue 1, a championship I have always known, but I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years. 

"It's difficult and, of course, there are some people, I want to thank above all these are the fans. I know I am not the most demonstrative player. I haven't always lived up to the love you all gave me for the seven years, but I never wanted to cheat. I have always wanted to be effective. 

"PSG is a club that never leaves anyone indifferent. We can love it or hate it. I made the choice of loving it and I did it for seven years, with ups and downs, of course, but I do not regret any moment, signing with this prestigious club.

"It's a club that I will keep in memory my entire life. I will tell everybody my whole life, that I had the chance to play here. I won't be a player anymore, but I will continue to watch every game, of course, because it's a club that I will always be interested in, and I will always closely follow up its news.

"It was me with my qualities and defects, but I tried to give the best version of myself during those seven years. But beforehand I want to say thank you because without you all I would not have experienced half of the emotions I felt. And just for that, I am grateful for life. 

Borussia Dortmund have benefited from going under the radar during their "unbelievable road" to the Champions League final, according to head coach Edin Terzic.

The Black and Yellow will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the showpiece on June 1, following a hard-earned 2-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain in the last four.

Dortmund came into this season on the back of a bitter Bundesliga title loss on the final matchday of the previous campaign, with a 2-2 draw against Mainz handing the title to Bayern on goal difference.

While Terzic's side have been unable to launch a genuine challenge on the domestic front this term - currently occupying fifth place and 24 points adrift of newly crowned champions Bayer Leverkusen - it has been a different story in Europe.

"There is always a team that no one has on their radar that reaches the quarter-finals or the semi-finals," he said. "We wanted to be the team that were not necessarily on anyone's radar. That road has been unbelievable."

Indeed, it has. Dortmund began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at PSG and goalless draw at home to Milan, but recovered to top Group F before seeing off PSV and Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.

The 1997 Champions League winners then produced a defensive masterclass across both legs of their semi-final with PSG, to reach their first final since 2013.

"After the second matchday, almost no one believed in us any more," said captain Emre Can, who made his 50th Champions League appearance during the second leg at Parc des Princes.

"We only had one point after two matches, but we kept believing and that was the most important thing. Keeping two clean sheets in two matches against PSG is no mean feat."

Kylian Mbappe shouldered the blame for Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, which saw them exit the Champions League semi-finals 2-0 on aggregate.

Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG at the end of the season, was unable to inspire the Ligue 1 champions as they fell short in their latest quest to land the European crown.

The France captain registered a game-high three shots on target and 12 touches in the opposition box during the second leg at Parc des Princes, but his tally of just 51 touches overall was the second-lowest recorded by any PSG player.

And the 25-year-old admitted he should have made a more significant contribution towards his team's cause.

"I tried to help my team as best as I could, but I didn't do enough," he said. "I'm the guy who should score goals and be decisive. When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow.

"That's not a problem. The first one who should have scored tonight was me. That's life, and we have to move on - me and the team."

PSG enjoyed the lion's share of possession (69.5 per cent) during the second leg and registered four times as many shots as their opponents did (30 to seven), hitting the woodwork four times.

"In decisive Champions League matches, when you're not effective in both boxes, it's difficult to get through to the next round," Mbappe added. "Even more so when we're talking about a final.

"We're certainly disappointed, but it's not all doom and gloom. We need to build on that and keep working, because I'm sure we'll get there."

Luis Enrique expressed his pride at the efforts of his Paris Saint-Germain side, despite their Champions League exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.

The Ligue 1 champions were knocked out in the semi-finals on Tuesday after a 2-0 aggregate loss to the Bundesliga giants, having hit the woodwork six times over the two legs - making it a record tally of 14 for the campaign - and managed 31 attempts at Parc des Princes.

PSG missed a golden opportunity to reach their second Champions League final, but it is not all doom and gloom after a season of transition with a new coach.

The Ligue 1 title is already in the bag with three matches remaining, and they have a Coupe de France final showdown with Lyon to come later this month.

"We were not inferior over the two legs, but football rewards those who score - not those who hit the woodwork," Luis Enrique said.

"My goal was to be fighting for all the titles. Tonight I'm proud of my team, of all the players."

PSG have now lost all six legs of their three two-legged Champions League semi-finals, after double defeats against Milan in 1995 and Manchester City in 2021.

The year they reached the final, in 2020, they beat RB Leipzig in a one-off semi-final after COVID-19 disrupted the season, before losing out in the final to Bayern Munich.

This season started with a new coach in Luis Enrique and without Lionel Messi and Neymar, as club president Nasser al-Khelaifi put an emphasis on building a team over individual talents.

While not always brilliant, PSG have looked like an organised outfit and the coach said he was already working on building a team without Kylian Mbappe, who is widely expected to leave at the end of the campaign.

"The players and coach gave their all," Al-Khelaifi said. "Congratulations to Dortmund, we deserved better. It's a tough game. I'm proud of my team, the youngest in Europe.

"We've reached the semi-finals three times in five years. That's not our objective; it's still the final. That's soccer; you have to accept it and sometimes it's not fair. We'll accept it."

Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain made amends for last season's disappointing Bundesliga finale, coach Edin Terzic said.

Dortmund showed great composure to reach their third Champions League final and first since 2013 after Mats Hummels' second-half goal earned a 1-0 victory on the night in Paris on Tuesday.

Terzic went to the Dortmund fans after the game and said he felt he had to make up for last season's failure to win the Bundesliga title after slipping up on the very last day.

"Last season, we lost the championship at home on the last matchday. I'm happy that we can now give something back to the fans," Terzic said, remembering how Bayern Munich snatched the Bundesliga title from Dortmund on goal difference.

"[Going to the fans] was a very emotional moment, a beautiful moment. We wished it for last season's last matchday. But today we could pay something back, keep them dreaming and now we'll do everything to bring the trophy back home," he said.

PSG hit the woodwork four times but failed to find the net as Kylian Mbappe, widely expected to leave at the end of the season, was a shadow of his usual brilliant self.

Dortmund will now meet either 14-time European champions Real Madrid or their Bundesliga rivals Bayern in the June 1 showdown at Wembley.

"Before the first game against PSV, we talked for the first time about how short the journey to London could be," Terzic said.

"Back then, many were still puzzled. We've grown with every game and eventually realised that we could be the team that surprises everyone in the end. Now I'm very happy to be in the final with my team."

Dortmund have played a roller-coaster Bundesliga season and sit in fifth place with two games left.

"That plays no role," Terzic said. "In 2013 when Dortmund were in the Champions League final they were 25 points behind in the league and in 1997 when they won it they were also not doing well.

"The season had highs and lows but our season is still not finished."

Mats Hummels sees no reason why Borussia Dortmund cannot go on and win the Champions League following their hard-earned semi-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

The Black and Yellow are through to the final of Europe's premier club competition for only the third time after sealing a 2-0 aggregate over the reigning Ligue 1 champions, who struck the woodwork six times across both legs.

After Niclas Fullkrug settled last week's first leg at Signal Iduna Park, Hummels' second-half header was the difference in the return at Parc des Princes, where Edin Terzic's side produced another defensive masterclass as they claimed their sixth clean sheet in this season's competition. 

Dortmund, who lifted the trophy 27 years ago, will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final at Wembley on June 1, and Hummels is confident he and his team-mates can go all the way.

"I've scored far too few Champions League goals in my career, just five," he told DAZN via Uefa.com. "Now is a good time to add to that number.

"Since the second match of the group stage, we've believed that we could prevail in every game - and I don't see why we shouldn't win at Wembley now.

"We remained active today and were able to take so much pace out of the game and atmosphere out of the stadium. That was our recipe for success today."

Hummels was part of the Dortmund side beaten 2-1 by Bayern in their most recent Champions League final appearance in 2013, along with Marco Reus.

The veteran midfielder announced last week that he would be leaving the club at the end of this season, and is thrilled to have one more crack at landing the biggest trophy in European club football. 

"[It is] indescribable," he told DAZN. "After more than 10 years, I am in the final with Borussia again. Ousmane [Dembele] and Achraf [Hakimi] brought a tremendous amount of pace, and we suffered a lot.

"How we won the game, no-one will ask tomorrow. Shots against the post won’t matter tomorrow. What counts is that Borussia Dortmund are in the final again. Nobody expected this. It's just incredible."

Meanwhile Terzic, who saw his side surrender the Bundesliga title on the final day of last season, saluted the strides his players have made as the competition has progressed.

"Before the first game against PSV [in the round of 16], we talked for the first time about how short the journey to London could be," he said. "Back then, many were still puzzled. Last season, we lost the championship at home on the last matchday.

"I'm happy that we can now give something back to the fans. We've grown with every game and eventually realised that we could be the team that surprises everyone in the end. Now, I'm very happy to be in the final with my team."

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