Mendes guides PSG to top of Ligue 1 with 4-0 win at Nice

NICE, France, March 21 : Nuno Mendes scored a first-half penalty and provided an assist for Desire Doue as Paris Saint-Germain moved back to the top of Ligue 1 with a resounding 4-0 victory at struggling 10-man Nice on Saturday.

PSG move to 60 points from 26 games, one more than second-placed Lens who won 5-1 at Angers on Friday, and have a game in hand. Nice are on 27 points from 27 games, five points above the relegation zone.

After missing several chances, the visitors took the lead on 42 minutes when Nice defender Morgan Sanson was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box from Doue’s shot.

Referee Willy Delajod initially waved play on but, after a Video Assistant Referee review, pointed to the spot. Mendes converted for his sixth goal of the campaign.

The Portugal international then embarked on a mazy run into the Nice penalty area four minutes into the second half and found Doue, whose rasping shot from 10 metres gave Yehvann Diouf in the home goal no chance.

Nice were reduced to 10 players just past the hour-mark when Youssouf Ndayishimiye's poor challenge on Lee Kang-in was deemed reckless on VAR review.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had the ball in the back of the net again for the visitors, but his effort was ruled out after Ousmane Dembele was adjudged offside in the build-up.

PSG did score again when Dembele picked out Dro Fernandez on the edge of the box and the 18-year-old former Barcelona youngster fired into the net for his first goal in senior football, before Warren Zaire-Emery added a late fourth.