Nice boss praises Mohamed Abdelmonem after Paris Saint-Germain defeat

Nice manager Olivier Panteloni highlighted Mohamed Abdelmonem’s performance as one of the positives from his side’s 3-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the second round of the French league season.

The Egypt international made his first start for Nice in the match and remained on the pitch until the 73rd minute, when he was substituted. Despite the heavy defeat, Panteloni was encouraged by the defender’s display on his return to the starting line-up.

“There were individual positives despite the defeat by Paris, including a remarkable performance from Mohamed Abdelmonem on his return, as well as Axel Witsel. However, we expect more from some of the other players,” the Nice manager said at his post-match news conference.

Abdelmonem’s appearance was his second consecutive involvement for Nice this season. He featured against Lorient in the opening round, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute, before being selected from the start against Paris Saint-Germain.

Panteloni said his team had shown signs of control and ambition, even though mistakes ultimately proved costly against the league leaders.

“Regardless of the mistakes that cost us dearly, I believe the team had good control and a desire to press the opponent in advanced areas of the pitch,” he added.

Nice were unable to turn that intent into a result as Paris Saint-Germain secured a 3-0 victory. The outcome leaves Nice 17th in the table, one place above the bottom, with one point from their opening two matches.

Paris Saint-Germain moved to the top of the standings with four points. The result strengthened their position after the second round, while Nice remain searching for their first win of the campaign.

For Abdelmonem, the match represented a significant step in his involvement with the French club. After making a late substitute appearance against Lorient, he was trusted with a starting role against Paris Saint-Germain and completed 73 minutes before being replaced.

Panteloni’s comments underlined the contrast between Nice’s overall result and the individual performances he felt offered encouragement. While the three-goal loss exposed errors that had a major effect on the match, the manager specifically pointed to Abdelmonem and Witsel as players who delivered positively.

Nice will now look to respond after a difficult opening two rounds, while Panteloni will also expect a greater contribution from other members of the squad, having made clear that the performance of some players fell below the level required.