Mario Balotelli hit the post for Nice, who took a 17th-minute lead when Allan Saint-Maximin finished off after good work from Alassane Plea.

But PSG equalised four minutes later with a goal from ex-Manchester United midfielder Angel di Maria.

Balotelli hit the woodwork for a second time before Alves headed in from Adrien Rabiot’s cross to secure PSG’s victory.

PSG won the title in four successive seasons before finishing second to Monaco in 2016-17.

However, this latest success was their ninth successive Ligue 1 win and leaves them 17 points clear of Monaco, who only have eight league matches left to play this season.

Nice, who finished third last season, are now eighth in the table.

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Source: BBC

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The £200m striker appeared to twist his ankle while chasing Bouna Sarr.

PSG beat Marseille in Le Classique with ease, as Kylian Mbappe smashed home the opener and Rolando turned Neymar’s pass into his own net for the second.

Edinson Cavani swivelled and fired in a third from Neymar’s pass.

Paris St-Germain – who are 14 points clear of second-placed Monaco in Ligue 1 – host Real Madrid on Tuesday, 6 March, trailing 3-1 from the first leg.

Neymar has scored 29 goals in 30 games since his world-record move from Barcelona in the summer.

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Source: BBC Sport

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Nantes finished the game with 10 men as defender Diego Carlos was shown a second yellow card in injury time after the incident with referee Tony Chapron.

Nantes chairman Waldemar Kita said Chapron should be banned for six months for the “scandalous” decision.

But he added: “I do not want to believe he did it on purpose.”

‘It’s a joke’

As PSG broke into the Nantes penalty area, Carlos clipped Chapron’s heels in what appeared to be an accident.

Chapron kicked out at the player, then booked him, apparently for dissent.

“It’s a joke,” Kita told French TV. “I received 20 text messages from all over the world telling me that this referee is a joke.

“If I talk too much, I will be summoned by an ethics commission. We have no right to say anything.”

PSG won their first match back after the winter break with Angel di Maria scoring the only goal of the game after 12 minutes at Stade de la Beaujoire.

The win – achieved despite the absence of £200m signing Neymar – took them 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

Di Maria could have added a second before half-time but missed an open goal, while Nantes’ Emiliano Sala had a goal ruled out for offside on the hour mark.

Neymar missed the game having scored in the midweek Coupe de la Ligue victory over Amiens, with coach Unai Emery suggesting he had a fitness problem.

PSG took advantage of second-placed Monaco being held to a goalless draw in Montpellier on Saturday to extend their advantage at the top.

Lyon moved level on points with Monaco as they drew 1-1 draw at home to Angers.

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Source: BBC Sport

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The forward was suspended for last weekend’s win over Lille and missed the midweek League Cup win at Strasbourg to travel to Brazil for personal reasons.

He struck after four minutes before setting up Kylian Mbappe to score.

Firmin Mubele got one back but Edinson Cavani fired in from a through ball by Neymar, who then poked in a fourth.

Both sides had a player sent off with Benjamin Andre receiving a second yellow card in the second half for the hosts while PSG centre-back Presnel Kimpembe was dismissed for a foul inside the box late on.

Midfielder Wahbi Khazri, on loan from Sunderland, then fired over the bar from the penalty.

PSG are nine points clear of Monaco at the top of the table with 47 points from 18 games.

Rennes, meanwhile, remain sixth on 25 points.

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Source: BBC Sport

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Premier League leaders Manchester City will play Switzerland’s Basel, Manchester United face La Liga side Sevilla and Liverpool take on Portugal’s Porto.

Holders Real Madrid will face Paris St-Germain.

A record five English teams progressed from the group stage this season.

Chelsea were the only English team to make it through as runners-up, with the other four sides all topping their respective groups.

The Blues have arguably been handed the most difficult tie, and it comes days after boss Antonio Conte conceded that their Premier League title defence was over following their defeat by West Ham, which left them 14 points adrift of Manchester City.

However, Chelsea did beat Barcelona in the semi-finals before lifting the Champions League trophy in 2012.

Real Madrid, who are aiming for a 13th title and third in a row, were given a tough draw against big-spending PSG after finishing behind Tottenham in Group H.

The group winners will be away in the round of 16 first legs on 13/14 and 20/21 February, and at home in the return matches on 6/7 and 13/14 March.

The final will take place in Kiev on 26 May.

Champions League last-16 draw

Juventus v Tottenham (13 February and 7 March)

Basel v Manchester City (13 February and 7 March)

Porto v Liverpool (14 February and 6 March)

Sevilla v Manchester United (21 February and 13 March)

Real Madrid v PSG (14 February and 6 March)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma (21 February and 13 March)

Chelsea v Barcelona (20 February and 14 March)

Bayern Munich v Besiktas (20 February and 14 March)

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Source: BBC Sport

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PSG wore down Troyes to win 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from their world-record signing and Edinson Cavani.

Lucas Lima’s goal in the 92nd minute gave Claudio Ranieri’s Nantes a dramatic victory that pushed Monaco down into fourth place.

Marseille won 3-0 at Metz to go second above Lyon, who lost 2-1 to Lille.

Cavani had a first-half penalty saved by Troyes keeper Mamadou Samassa but Neymar broke the deadlock after 73 minutes with a left-footed shot from outside the box for his eighth goal of the season.

Then at the end of normal time, Cavani made amends for his spot-kick profligacy with his 17th of this Ligue 1 campaign.

Goals from Florian Thauvin, Luiz Gustavo and Lucas Ocampos stretched Marseille’s unbeaten run to nine games and moved them below PSG in the table.

Ezequiel Ponce’s goal in the 40th minute proved to be the winner for Lille at Lyon, who dropped down a place from second.

Nantes ended a two-game losing run at Monaco’s expense with Lima’s fierce shot deep into added time to stay in fifth.

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Source: BBC

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Moussa Dembele had stunned the Parc des Princes with a first-minute opener for Celtic, but Neymar turned the game on its head with two goals (9, 21) for the Group B leaders.

The Brazilian then turned provider as Edinson Cavani tapped in PSG’s third, while Kylian Mbappe ensured he would not miss out on the action when firing past Craig Gordon (35).

After the break, PSG scored three goals in five minutes, with Cavani getting his second (79) in between strikes from Marco Verratti (75) and Dani Alves (80).

The Ligue 1 leaders have now scored 24 goals in five games, seeing them comfortably overtake Borussia Dortmund’s record of 21 goals in last season’s group stage.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich gave Celtic a huge boost in the race for a Europa League spot after running out 2-1 winners over Anderlecht.

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Source: Sky Sports

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“I have told them to sort it out between themselves,” the Spaniard declared during his postmatch news conference. “I think that they are capable of doing that and that they will both be our kickers.

The response of Paris Saint Germain head coach Unai Emery to journalists after a hard-earned victory against Lyon that was masked by the open brawl between Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani and the world’s most expensive player Neymar.

It did not help issues that fellow Brazilian Dani Alves openly got involved in the scuffle as he sought to back his former Barcelona teammate.

The arrival of Neymar the global icon was always going to rob a number of other alpha egos in that PSG dressing room of their star spotlight and arrive at that point we have.

Cavani who was among the pioneers of the era of big spending for PSG will be seething and is highly unlikely to sit down with Neymar over coffee and croissants to decide how goal opportunities and spot kicks will be split.

This is the sole responsibility of the coach. Unai Emery, and he should clearly have spelt out these duties the moment the Brazilian was acquired.

A break down in leadership fueled by the manager’s lack of clarity and pragmatism.

Such ineptness at dealing with special players is probably the reason why Emery will not be the one to steer this ship long-term.

In the head of Neymar he is the unanimous leader and arrow head of this PSG side and must be allowed to take charge of all the deciding moments in matches.

On a skill and performance level he is not wrong and I firmly believe that he will eventually have his way.

Cavani does not stand a chance in this feud as he is surrounded on all sides by Brazilians who will go to war for their man.

Insisting on butting heads with Neymar will eventually result in Cavani being transfer listed and that will truly signify the second phase of the PSG global conquest journey.

We are witnessing the construction of a super team,led by a super star with a super ego who will stop at nothing to exert himself as the best in the sport with the help of his loyal henchmen.

Sergeant Atsu

Five games into the new Premier League season, a modest goal and two assists to his name might not scream take-over for Newcastle’s Christian Atsu but it is the beginning of better things to come.

Along with captain Jamal Lascelles he has put himself in the position to become one of the leaders and go-to-guys on a Newcastle team that will require inspiration from some quarters through out the season if they are to exceed expectations with their current squad.

The injuries during his spell at Everton left him in a dark place and so did the lack of trust shown in his fitness and ability by Bournemouth and Eddie Howe.

The lifeline for Ghana’s most talented player currently to fulfill his full potential reside at Tyneside and in the hands of Spaniard Rafael Benitez.

On his watch Atsu has braved the harsh and physical conditions of the Championship and has survived long enough to score his first ever Premier League goal to give an unfancied Newcastle team nine points in five games en-route to a temporary fourth place spot on the log.

At their current level of quality in each position, Newcastle have no business winning matches but have managed to navigate tricky assignments due to some shrewd coaching and the availability of players with the desire to prove their worth like Atsu to execute.

Playing Atsu on the left wing as an inverted winger has always made the most sense for me,but over the years he has been unable to perfect that art in the manner that has crystallized guys like Arjen Robben as legends of the role in the eyes of many.

Thus, I accept the decision of Benitez to play Atsu on his natural left side where both his goal and assists this season have come from.

He looks in rhythm with the pace of the league and will have to battle through the physical nature of the play everytime he takes to the court.

Barring any unforeseen injury setbacks and managerial instability, this could be the season that defines the career of the former Feyernoord academy product.

Princesses slip under the radar

I have made a conscious effort to keep tabs on Ghana’s Black Princesses as they seek to qualify for the World Cup but even I was blown away by the manner in which the qualifying campaign got under way and even more by how a 5-0 win in far away Algiers escaped the high praise of all Ghanaians.

Perhaps it is essential to see through the two legged fixture before showering coach Yusif Basigi and his girls with champagne.

What is evident is that the head coach Basigi despite the various impediments that exist during such preparation campaigns has managed to conduct a wide range of scouting to give Ghana the best chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in France.

In the face of meager resources and national neglect, his man management skills will be tested but as things stand they remain on the right path.

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By:Benjamin Nketsia/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The 18-year-old – who will cost PSG 180m euros (£165.7m) when he makes his loan move from Monaco permanent next summer – impressed throughout alongside the world’s most expensive player Neymar.

But bottom-of-the-table Metz were holding their own at 1-1 until former Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto was questionably sent off for fouling Mbappe.

That was the turning point as Mbappe then drilled home from 20 yards to put Unai Emery’s side back ahead.

Neymar, Edinson Cavani’s second of the game and a tap-in for substitute Lucas added some gloss to the eventual scoreline.

The defeat leaves Metz without a point this season, while champions Monaco have the chance to draw level with PSG at the top when they travel to Nice on Saturday.

When record goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic left PSG for Manchester United in 2016 after scoring 156 goals in 180 games, fans of the club may have wondered where the goals were going to come from.

That is not a problem a year on. With Neymar – a £200m signing from Barcelona – joining Mbappe and Julian Draxler behind Cavani, and Lucas, Angel di Maria, Dani Alves, Hatem Ben Arfa, Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore not even in the staring XI, Emery is not short of options.

Mbappe ended last season in electric form for Monaco and scored his first goal for France during the international break, becoming the country’s youngest goalscorer in 54 years.

His PSG career started in similar fashion. He could have opened the scoring when Cavani rounded Metz goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, with the ball running into his path, but avoided any conflict by allowing the Uruguayan to score.

He then delivered a wonderful cross from the left with the outside of his right foot which Cavani should have buried, before former Newcastle striker Emmanuel Riviere headed in after some poor defending.

Assou-Ekotto can count himself extremely unlucky to see red for a sliding tackle on Mbappe which cleanly won the ball, and his departure did for Metz. Mbappe hammered in a low shot from the edge of the area when his own ball forward was not dealt with, and the Metz defence then backed away from Neymar who curled in his fourth goal in four games from 25 yards.

Scruffy goals from Cavani and Lucas were added as the Metz defence tired. Celtic are the next team to face Mbappe, Neymar and co when they travel to Glasgow on Tuesday night.

Celtic beat Hamilton 4-1 on Friday night, with Odsonne Edouard – on loan from PSG – scoring on his debut.

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Source: BBC

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European football’s governing body introduced FFP ‘break-even’ rules in 2013, requiring clubs to balance their spending with their revenue.

PSG more than doubled the world record transfer fee when they spent 222m euros (£200m) to sign Neymar last month.

They have signed Kylian Mbappe on loan, and could pay £165.7m for him in 2018.

PSG have been owned by the Gulf state of Qatar, via its Qatar Sports Investments fund, since 2011.

The French club made made a profit of 10m euros (£9.2m) on revenue of 520.9m euros (£389.6m at the time of conversion) in the 2015-16 financial year, according to the most recent figures published by Deloitte.

The six-time French champions have failed to meet FFP rules before – receiving a fine, a spending cap and only being allowed to register 21 players for the Champions League in 2014.

Uefa’s FFP regulations were approved in 2010 and the first assessments began the following year.

The ‘break-even’ element states clubs can spend 30m euros more than they earn over a three-year period.

A Uefa statement said the investigation into PSG would “focus on the compliance of the club with the break-even requirement, particularly in light of its recent transfer activity”.

It added: “In the coming months, the investigatory chamber of the Uefa club financial control body will regularly meet in order to carefully evaluate all documentation pertaining to this case.

“Uefa considers financial fair play to be a crucial governance mechanism which aims to ensure the financial sustainability of European club football.”

In a statement PSG said: “The club is surprised by this approach given that it has constantly kept Uefa informed about the financial impact of all players’ operations carried out this summer, even though it wasn’t obliged to do so. The club is very confident in its ability to demonstrate that it will fully comply with Financial Fair Play rules for the fiscal year 2017-2018.

“Deputy CEO Jean-Claude Blanc met with UEFA experts including Andrea Traverso, responsible for Uefa Financial Fair Play, for more than three hours on 23 August at Paris St-Germain’s headquarters, where he demonstrated that the operations carried out with FC Barcelona and in progress at that time with AS Monaco followed the rules of Financial Fair Play for the financial year 2017-2018.

“On 31 August, the club’s general management again had exchanges with UEFA Financial Fair Play management to provide a more detailed account of how the transaction with AS Monaco would be integrated into the club’s accounts for this season, in terms of amortization and payroll, in compliance with French accounting standards.

“Furthermore, as for the summer of 2017, the club has already completed outgoing player transactions that helped improve club results by more than 104 million euros for the 2017/2018 season.

“The club also reminds, if necessary, that it has under contract many high valued players allowing the club to generate very significant capital gains in the next two transfer windows (January and June) of 2018.”

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Source: BBC

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