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Nice came from behind to upset 10-man Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Saturday thanks to goals from Sammy Traoré and Mamadou Bagayoko.
A full house was on hand to celebrate PSG’s 35th birthday and Portuguese hitman Pedro Pauleta got the party going as early as the first minute when he headed home Jérôme Rothen’s quickly taken free-kick.
That was as good as it got for Laurent Fournier’s players who failed to make the most of their chances in a dominant first-half display.
Ivory Coast playmaker Bonaventure drew a fine save from Nice ‘keeper Damien Gregorini before seeing a 20m drive ricochet off the crossbar as the home side rode a wave of confidence.
However, Nice refused to give in and, in former-Lorient livewire Bakari Koné, the visitors always looked dangerous on the counterattack.
The Côte d’Azur outfit made the Parisians pay for their generosity in front of goal in a stellar second half performance.
Traoré’s near-post header, on 72 minutes, was deflected into his own net by the hapless David Rozehnal to bring the side’s level.
PSG were unable to break down Frédéric Antonetti’s well-organised side and when Koné stripped Mario Yepes of possession on the halfway line, Bagayoko profited to beat Lionel Letizi from six yards out with just a minute left on the clock.
PSG’s nightmare was completed deep into stoppage time at the end of the match when Sylvain Armand was shown the red card for bringing down Koné as the diminutive striker raced to the edge of the area.
The victory lifts Nice to eight points on the ladder, just two behind PSG, who remain top on goal difference from Lyon who have a match in hand.
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