When PSG Needed a Response, Kvara Delivered
Last weekend they lost to Lyon. The gap at the top of Ligue 1 dropped to one point. Suddenly the title race looked interesting again.
Wednesday sorted that. PSG beat Nantes 3-0. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice. Désiré Doué got the other. Four points clear of Lens again. Crisis over.
Luis Enrique fielded his first-choice eleven. Rotation could wait. This was too important.
Penalty, Counter, Kvara – First Half Done
The opening goal came via VAR. Marquinhos challenged Louis Leroux in the air from a corner and the ball deflected off Ali Yousif’s arm inside the box. Kvaratskhelia stepped up and sent Anthony Lopes the wrong way. Thirteen minutes gone. 1-0.
Nantes did not panic. Leroux equalised on 22 minutes — a poorly returned free kick, a loose Parisian defensive shape, and the young forward poked it in. Level. Unexpected.
It lasted a few minutes. A sweeping PSG counter broke Nantes open entirely. Achraf Hakimi slipped Désiré Doué in behind the backline. One touch, then a sensational finish into the top-left corner. Doué does not score tap-ins. That was a real goal.
Nantes thought they had levelled again when Leroux got another — but the flag went up. Offside. PSG went into half-time 2-1 ahead and fully in control.
Kvaratskhelia’s Second Settled It
Whatever Nantes were thinking at half-time, the Georgian ended it within a minute of the restart.
Kvaratskhelia started the move himself — an outside-of-the-boot pass down the wing to Dembélé, who played it straight back. Kvara received it on the edge of the box, drove past three defenders, and slotted it past Lopes into the left corner. 3-0. Done.
He nearly got a hat-trick too. Dembélé crossed, Kvaratskhelia headed it, Lopes pushed it onto the crossbar. Not his night for a third — but two was enough.
Since March 11, no player across Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than Kvaratskhelia in all competitions. Seven goals in that run. He is in the form of his life and PSG are benefiting from every minute of it.
Nantes Are Running Out of Time
For Nantes, the evening was an ordeal. Their main concern from about the 60th minute was not conceding a fourth and worsening their goal difference. That tells you everything about where they are in this season.
Five points behind Auxerre in the relegation play-off spot. Four games left. Their next fixture is a Breton derby against Rennes. They need to win it. Losing that one would almost certainly end their top-flight status.
Vahid Halilhodzic’s side have won once in their last twelve Ligue 1 matches. One win. In twelve games. That is a relegation-form run by any measure. They have scored 25 goals all season — one of the worst tallies in the division. The squad lacks the quality to turn this around and everyone inside that dressing room knows it.
What PSG Face Next
Luis Enrique will allow himself one night of satisfaction. Then the schedule takes over.
PSG face Angers next in Ligue 1, then the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich. The title race is not finished — Lens are four points behind with five games to play — but Wednesday’s win gave the leaders breathing room.
Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Doué — when those three are in rhythm, PSG are a nightmare to defend against. Nantes had no answer. Better sides will have more. Bayern Munich will have to figure that out first.
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PSG 3-0 Nantes Ligue 1 Round 26 | Wednesday, 22 April 2026 | Parc des Princes, Paris
Goals: Kvaratskhelia 13′ pen, Doué 28′, Kvaratskhelia 47′ Disallowed: Leroux (offside)
PSG XI: Safonov | Hakimi, Marquinhos, Zabarnyi, Zaire-Emery | Beraldo, Neves, Dro Fernández | Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, Doué Subs: Hernández, Fabián Ruiz, Senny Mayulu (all 60′), Mbaye, Barcola
Nantes XI: Lopes | Guilbert, Ali Yousif, Acapandié, Machado | Cozza, Sissoko, Leroux, Lepenant | Abline, Mostafa Mohamed Subs: Tabibou, Ganago
Half-Time: PSG 2-1 Nantes Table: PSG 1st (66 pts) | Lens 2nd (62 pts) | Nantes 17th (20 pts)
