NICE: Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique did not seem too disheartened on Sunday even though his side relinquished top spot in Ligue 1 after being held to a 1-1 draw at Nice and are now two points behind leaders AS Monaco going into the October international break.

Nice had led at half-time on the Cote d’Azur thanks to a deflected strike late in the first half from their Tunisian international full-back Ali Al-Abdi.

The capital side levelled in the second half thanks to Nuno Mendes’ strike from Ousmane Dembele’s cross but failed to find a winner as Nice held firm despite coming under late pressure.

“We are at the beginning of the season. The start seems promising to me. I like what I see. I think it’s a much better start than last season,” Luis Enrique told a news conference.

“I am especially proud after a bad first half. A really bad one. I’m proud of their spirit. They concentrated on the game, on trying to turn the game around.

“Grades are given at the end of the season. When the season is over we’ll see the grade... The important thing is to win the league. The most important thing is to be in contention for all the titles.”

Defending champions PSG remain unb­eaten with 17 points from seven games, while Monaco moved to the top on 19 points after a 2-1 win over Stade Rennais on Saturday.

Olympique de Marseille, who were held 1-1 at home by bottom club Angers on Friday, are five points behind the leaders in third place.

Reims are fourth, behind Marseille only on goal difference, as they continued their good start to the campaign by beating struggling Montpellier 4-2.

Also on Sunday, Brest followed their 4-0 win away to Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League in midweek by beating Le Havre 2-0 in Brittany. Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at home to Will Still’s unbeaten Lens in Alsace.

Olympique Lyonnais continued their revival in form by claiming a fourth consecutive win in all competitions with a 2-0 defeat of Nantes.

Having started the season with just one win in five, Pierre Sage’s team are up to eighth, above Nantes.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2024