NICE, France (AP) - Paris Saint-Germain moved closer to the French league title by defeating Nice 1-0 on Friday to provisionally extend its lead over Monaco to 13 points.
The defending champion won with an own goal from Nice fullback Timothee Kolodziejczak in the 52nd minute after Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed a cross from Javier Pastore into the path of Edinson Cavani.
Kolodziejczak tried to intercept Cavani but only succeeded in flicking the ball into his own net.
PSG stretched its winning streak to nine games in all competitions.
“We were not great,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc told Canal Plus television. “They didn’t make things easy for us but we could have been more clinical offensively.”
PSG had a scare in the 11th minute when Nice striker Dario Cvitanich headed in a free kick, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
PSG soon dominated possession, but heroics from goalkeeper David Ospina enabled Nice to reach halftime with a clean sheet. The Colombia keeper tipped a curling shot from Cavani around the post in the 34th, parried an angled strike from Ibrahimovic in the 36th and saved a header from an unmarked Thiago Silva on the stroke of halftime.
Lucas Digne nearly doubled the lead in the 73rd but Nice defender Mathieu Bodmer cleared the PSG left back’s low strike off the line after Ospina denied Ibrahimovic.
On Saturday, it’s: Sochaux vs. Marseille; Ajaccio vs. Toulouse; Evian vs. Monaco; Montpellier vs. Valenciennes; Nantes vs. Bordeaux; and Reims vs. Lorient.
On Sunday, third-place Lille hosts Guingamp, Saint-Etienne visits Lyon and Rennes faces Bastia.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.