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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Lionel Messi endured a frustrating outing against Nice on Wednesday in Ligue 1. Mauricio Pochettino's men were largely uninspiring as they played out a drab 0-0 draw against fourth-placed Nice.
Lionel Messi, who won a record-extending seventh Ballon d'Or on Monday, embraced the Parc des Princes with the honor before kick-off. Gianluigi Donnarumma also displayed the Yachine Trophy after he was named in the starting line-up ahead of Keylor Navas.
The hosts enjoyed the lion's share of possession during the game. Despite Lionel Messi showing signs of returning to his best form in recent games, the affair proved particularly tough on him and the other PSG stars.
Out of 22 attempted shots, PSG managed to keep just five on target. Kylian Mbappe was particularly wasteful, with Lionel Messi also failing to turn the tide on his own like he usually does.
On another night, the visitors may have even walked away with a surprise win. Lionel Messi's PSG were handed a huge let-off when Kasper Dolberg spurned a golden chance to put Nice ahead just after the hour mark.
The Danish striker had an empty goal to plant his header into after Donnarumma failed to intercept a cross. Quite astonishingly, however, Dolberg struck the woodwork from close-range and the ball stayed out of danger.
Fortunately for Nice and Dolberg, PSG were unable to punish them for missing such a gilt-edged opportunity.
Lionel Messi and the star-studded PSG squad have yet to impress convincingly as a unit
The wet evening in Paris, coupled with a lackluster display from PSG, further dampened the credentials of the ensemble cast at the Parc des Princes. including Lionel Messi.
Despite assembling one of the fiercest squads on paper, PSG have not been able to look convincing as a collective unit. Although they still boast a 11-point lead at the summit of the Ligue 1 table, it can hardly be attributed to a team effort. More often than not, it has been the individual brilliance bailing them out during games.
In many ways, the encounter against Nice was a reality check for PSG, who must get better if they are to achieve the holy grail of lifting the Champions League.
Lionel Messi, who registered a goal and three assists in his last four league games for PSG, will be disappointed after having failed to secure maximum points. As expected, frustration for PSG and Lionel Messi invited a flurry of reactions on Twitter.
Here are some of the best tweets from the game:
