Tag: Ligue 1

PSG defeat Le Havre to extend lead over Lens at top of Ligue 1

Bradley Barcola scored, and Desire Doue had a penalty saved as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) held on for a 1-0 win away to Le Havre on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to four points.

PSG were looking to take advantage of another slip-up by title rivals Lens, who were held to a 1-1 draw away at Strasbourg on Friday to go two games without a win.

Luis Enrique’s side duly got the job done with Barcola heading in from a Lee Kang-in cross on 37 minutes for his ninth goal of the season.

It was not a full-strength PSG, with Ousmane Dembele again out injured along with Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, while skipper Marquinhos was among the players rested.

Doue came off the bench in the second half and won a penalty with just over 10 minutes remaining, but his kick was kept out by Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw diving to his right. PSG have converted only five of their 10 spot-kicks this season.

Diaw also produced a fine reaction save from Nuno Mendes while PSG goalkeeper Matfei Safonov made a key stop to deny Issa Soumare at the other end.

“There are no nice and easy games for PSG because every match is important. We need to get players back and improve because we have less confidence than usual at the moment,” said Luis Enrique.

The reigning European champions are gearing up for a Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea and have now won nine out of 10 Ligue 1 games played since the start of December.

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“It is the first time we have had a four-point gap at the top, so this is a time for us to be happy. It was important to get the win here,” added the coach.

Elsewhere in France on Saturday, Rennes made it two wins out of two under new coach Franck Haise as they beat Toulouse 1-0 in Brittany thanks to Arnaud Nordin’s first-half goal.

Monaco got back on track after losing to PSG in their Champions League play-off tie as USA star Folarin Balogun and Simon Adingra scored in a 2-0 win over Angers.

Balogun, who is expected to be a key player for the United States at the World Cup, now has 12 goals this season in all competitions, including four in his last four games.

Marseille, in fourth play host to third-placed Lyon on Sunday in a key game in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Pablo Longoria left his position as Marseille president on Saturday evening, the Spaniard departing after five years to be replaced on an interim basis by Alban Juster.

Longoria’s departure comes amid a period of turbulence at the 1993 European champions, who saw coach Roberto De Zerbi leave just under three weeks ago in the wake of a 5-0 defeat away to PSG and their elimination from the Champions League.

De Zerbi has been replaced in the dugout by Habib Beye. Director of football Medhi Benatia recently announced he was stepping down, before it was confirmed he would stay on until the end of the season at the club owned by US tycoon Frank McCourt.

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PSG edge past Marseille to take step closer to Ligue 1 title

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) overcame a controversial first-half sending-off to win 2-0 away to bitter rivals Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with Portuguese duo Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos scoring their goals.

Marseille’s hopes of a first home league win against PSG since November 2011 were raised when the away side had Lucas Beraldo sent off five minutes before the interval.

But the Qatar-owned club still came out on top, with Vitinha exchanging passes with Ousmane Dembele before firing home a superb opening goal in the 53rd minute on a wet night at the Velodrome.

Marseille, who had been unbeaten at home this season, went looking for an equaliser and Jordan Veretout had a goal disallowed for an offside against team-mate Luis Henrique.

PSG coach Luis Enrique then withdrew captain Kylian Mbappe just after the hour mark and it was his replacement Ramos who made sure of the win five minutes from time.

The goal came on the breakaway, with the visitors clearing a corner before Achraf Hakimi found Marco Asensio and he picked out Ramos, who finished coolly for his 10th goal of the season.

Only Mbappe, with 38 in all competitions, has found the net more often for PSG this season.

The result means PSG end the weekend as they started it, 12 points clear of second-placed Brest, who won 1-0 at Lorient earlier on Sunday.

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There are just seven games of the campaign remaining, and PSG need only 10 more points to claim a 10th title in 12 seasons.

The biggest talking point on the night was the red card for Beraldo, the young Brazilian defender signed in January.

He went shoulder-to-shoulder with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, knocking the attacker over just past halfway near the right touchline.

Already on a booking, he escaped a second caution but then referee Benoit Bastien came across to check the VAR monitor and, following the review, surprisingly chose to show Beraldo a straight red card, judging him to have been the last defender.

“I don’t usually judge refereeing decisions, especially when there is VAR,” said Luis Enrique. “The action happened right in front of me, and I didn’t think there was a foul.

“But I don’t come here to talk about the referee, to comment on his decisions or to demand explanations.”

Marseille could not take advantage of the extra man and a second straight league loss means they remain seventh, three points away from the European places.

PSG face Rennes at home in the French Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, and host Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final a week later.

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Kylian Mbappe bags hat-trick as PSG hit six against Montpellier

An unstoppable Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) romped to a 6-2 win away to Montpellier on Sunday that allowed them to open up a huge 12-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Vitinha put PSG ahead at the Stade de la Mosson and Kylian Mbappe doubled their advantage midway through the first half, only for an Arnaud Nordin header and a Teji Savanier penalty to bring Montpellier back level at the interval.

However, a marvellous Mbappe goal restored PSG’s lead shortly after the break and Lee Kang-in made it 4-2 before the France captain completed his hat-trick.

Nuno Mendes put the seal on the victory late on, as Luis Enrique’s side ended a run of three successive draws in Ligue 1 and extended an unbeaten domestic record stretching back to September.

A 1-1 draw for nearest challengers Brest against Lille means the Parisians are 12 points ahead at the Ligue 1 summit with only eight games left, and a 10th title in 12 seasons is an inevitability.

Mbappe completed the whole 90 minutes of a Ligue 1 game for the first time since informing the club in mid-February that he intended to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires.

His hat-trick, his third of the campaign, took him to 24 goals in Ligue 1 this season, and 38 in all competitions.

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Mbappe’s second of the evening, PSG’s third, was the pick of the bunch, as he found the net with a superb shot from range which went in off the underside of the crossbar.

The downside of their performance came with the way in which they surrendered their 2-0 lead in the first half, conceding the penalty when Tanguy Coulibaly pounced on Danilo Pereira’s short back-pass and was then clattered by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The defeat for Montpellier leaves them just a point above third-bottom Nantes, who are in the relegation play-off place and on Sunday sacked coach Jocelyn Gourvennec.

Canadian striker Jonathan David continued his superb form in front of goal by scoring for Lille in their draw away to fellow Champions League contenders Brest.

David gave Lille the lead midway through the second half in Brittany with his 22nd goal of the season in all competitions, and his 15th since the turn of the calendar year.

The 24-year-old has netted 10 times in his team’s last nine Ligue 1 outings. His total of 15 in Ligue 1 this season is bettered only by Mbappe.

However, that goal was not enough to win the game, as Uruguayan striker Martin Satriano poked in a late equaliser for Brest, who remain second.

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Mbappe scores birthday brace as PSG end year on top of Ligue 1

Kylian Mbappe marked his 25th birthday with a brace as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beat Metz 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Wednesday to reach the halfway stage of the season five points clear at the top of the table.

PSG, who had been held 1-1 at Lille at the weekend, laboured in the first half before Vitinha opened the scoring early in the second half by turning in a cross from Lee Kang-in.

Mbappe then took centre stage by extending the lead for PSG to 2-0 with a superb strike off the underside of the crossbar from the edge of the area.

Matthieu Udol pulled one back for the struggling visitors but Mbappe pounced on a short backpass to round the goalkeeper and make it 3-1 towards the end for his 18th league goal of the campaign.

His birthday was made even more memorable when his 16-year-old brother Ethan came on for his senior debut in stoppage time.

PSG ended the year with a comfortable five-point cushion over nearest challengers Nice, who defeated Lens 2-0 on Wednesday thanks to two late goals from Nigerian striker Terem Moffi.

Monaco are seven points behind the leaders in third place after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Toulouse, with Wissam Ben Yedder scoring both of their goals.

The principality side held on to take all three points despite having Aleksandr Golovin sent off early in the second half.

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Malian international Kamory Doumbia produced the individual performance of the evening by scoring four goals, all in the first half, as Brest beat Brittany rivals Lorient 4-0.

That result lifted Brest up into fourth, a Champions League qualifying berth, above a Lille side who were beaten 2-1 away at Patrick Vieira’s Strasbourg.

Marseille are sixth after coming from behind to draw 1-1 at Montpellier, with Jordan Veretout scoring their goal in a game that was held up for five minutes in the second half after fireworks were set off at one end of the stadium.

Montpellier had a point deducted following an incident in their home match against Clermont earlier this season when the away side’s goalkeeper was hit by a firecracker thrown from the same stand.

“These guys are idiots, it’s incredible,” complained Montpellier coach Michel Der Zakarian on Wednesday.

“I don’t understand it. You are supposed to come to the stadium to support your team, not to set off fireworks.”

Japanese international Keito Nakamura got the only goal as Will Still’s Reims defeated Le Havre 1-0, while Rennes struck twice late on to claim a 3-1 victory at bottom club Clermont.

Meanwhile, Lyon climbed out of the bottom three as they beat Nantes 1-0 thanks to an Alexandre Lacazette goal.

It was a third consecutive victory for a team who had previously won just once all season, and the result lifted them two points above Toulouse, who now occupy the relegation play-off position.

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Mbappe hat-trick propels PSG to the top of Ligue 1

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won 3-0 away at high-flying Reims on Saturday to move to the top of the Ligue 1 table, although coach Luis Enrique was still not satisfied with the France captain’s performance.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the third minute in Champagne country and then netted twice more in the second half to give PSG a win which moved the reigning champions to the summit a point above Nice, who drew at Montpellier on Friday.

PSG were also grateful to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who denied Reims a route back into the game with a string of superb saves, as Luis Enrique’s team recovered from their midweek Champions League loss away to AC Milan.

Mbappe is Ligue 1’s leading scorer with 13 goals in 11 appearances this season, with the France captain also having netted twice in European competition.

Yet his coach was not entirely delighted with his superstar’s display.

“We know Kylian Mbappe’s worth, but he can do better. I want even more from him,” the Spaniard said.

“He is one of the world’s best players, but he still has a lot of room to get better. I don’t want him to rest on his laurels.”

Mbappe had earlier indicated that he was not completely pleased with his own game as he spoke to broadcaster Amazon Prime.

“In all modesty I don’t need to be playing well to score goals, but I want to do both, score goals and play well. That is my objective, to always help the team as well as I can,” Mbappe said.

Asked about bouncing back from the setback in Milan, Mbappe added: “It is a different competition and all we wanted to do was win. Nice drew and we wanted to take top spot. It’s job done and we are happy with that.

“We will have time to think about the Champions League but Ligue 1 is a different competition and that means a different mindset and a different way of playing.”

That 2-1 defeat in Milan on Tuesday left PSG’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout phase in the balance with two group games still to go, but they do finally appear to have found their rhythm domestically after a stuttering start to the campaign.

Luis Enrique’s team were targeting a fifth straight victory in Ligue 1 and they went ahead almost from the off as Mbappe met Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right with a superb side-foot volley low across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net.

Reims were denied an equaliser as a fine goal by Japanese international Junya Ito was disallowed for offside, and the same player was later denied by Donnarumma who also produced a superb reaction save from Amir Richardson before the interval.

A PSG side missing the suspended Achraf Hakimi and Randal Kolo Muani were again grateful to Donnarumma when the Italian repelled a Marshall Munetsi header on 56 minutes, and three minutes later they went 2-0 up.

Mbappe evaded his marker with a brilliant darting run to the back post where he converted a perfect assist rolled across the face of goal by Carlos Soler.

Donnarumma was at it again as he once more denied Zimbabwe midfielder Munetsi, before Mbappe finished off a cutback from substitute Bradley Barcola to make it 3-0 with eight minutes left.

Nice are still unbeaten this season after their stalemate on Friday in Montpellier, and they have still not been behind in a single game this season.

Reims remain in fourth place, while third-placed Monaco missed the chance to leapfrog Nice in the table as they drew 0-0 away to Le Havre in Saturday’s late match.

Monaco were fortunate to escape with a point, however, as Le Havre’s Samuel Grandsir had a penalty saved in the 10th minute of added time at the end of the game.

READ: La Liga: Vinicius and Rodrygo help Real Madrid dismantle sorry Valencia

Kylian Mbappe on target in PSG win, Nice top Ligue 1

Kylian Mbappe scored one goal and made another as Paris Saint-Germain beat Patrick Vieira’s Strasbourg 3-0 in Ligue 1 on Saturday but it is unbeaten Nice who are top of the table after a 1-0 victory over Marseille.

Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for PSG with a 10th-minute penalty and set up Carlos Soler to make it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark on a wet and windy day in Paris.

The reigning champions added a third in the 77th minute courtesy of Fabian Ruiz to wrap up a routine victory.

It was a second straight win for PSG following their 4-1 defeat away to Newcastle United in the Champions League earlier this month, and they sit a point behind Nice in second place.

“The logical concern with these games straight after an international break is that it is clearly not easy for the players to switch their mentality but the team played well and managed the game very well,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique.

He rested several regular starters with this game also coming just before a key Champions League meeting with AC Milan.

Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele were among those to be left out at kick-off, while Soler and Ruiz came in, as did Lee Kang-in.

South Korean international Lee was making his first appearance for PSG in over a month, having helped his country win football gold at the Asian Games in the meantime.

“In general all those players who have been involved less up to now this season did well. They got an opportunity today and made the most of it,” said Luis Enrique.

However, there was no question of Kylian Mbappe being rested, and he opened the scoring from the penalty spot in front of an empty end of PSG’s stadium, closed by the French league for this encounter as a punishment after homophobic chanting during a win over Marseille last month.

The penalty was awarded for a foul on Goncalo Ramos, and Kylian Mbappe converted for his ninth club goal this season.

South African striker Lebo Mothiba then thought he had equalised for Strasbourg, only for his goal to be disallowed for offside following a VAR check.

Instead, PSG doubled their lead on 31 minutes as Mbappe produced a step-over to beat his marker before cutting the ball back from the byline for Soler to prod in.

Soler set up the third goal late on for his fellow Spaniard Ruiz, not long after PSG suffered a scare when Mbappe went down needing treatment after Gerzino Nyamsi appeared to tread on his left foot.

However, France captain Kylian Mbappe managed to carry on.

Having sent out a team loaded with attacking players, just as he did in the defeat by Newcastle, Luis Enrique must decide whether to play the same way against Milan.

“Each match is different,” he insisted, “but my objective is to have 11 players attacking and 11 defending.”

It was a third straight loss for Strasbourg, with the club who were recently bought by Chelsea’s owners BlueCo struggling for goals and having won just once in six games now.

“My young players need to learn and learn very quickly,” said Vieira, whose line-up featured five outfield players aged 22 or under.

“We competed but we made too many mistakes to stand a chance.”

Later, the Mediterranean derby was decided when Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi was sent off for a second yellow card and substitute Evann Guessand headed in the resulting free-kick in the 79th minute.

The result maintained Nice’s unbeaten record this season under 34-year-old Italian coach Francesco Farioli and left them top, although Cote d’Azur rivals Monaco will replace them at the summit by beating Metz on Sunday.

Nice have enjoyed a fine start to the season despite British owner Jim Ratcliffe being focused on acquiring a stake in Manchester United.

“We need to look at the league table as little as possible, but it has been a very positive start to the season,” said Farioli.

Marseille have won only once in four games under new coach Gennaro Gattuso and are seven points behind the leaders.

READ: Ramos’ Sevilla hold leaders Real Madrid as Atletico Madrid climb second

Ligue 1 game abandoned after firecracker thrown at Clermont goalkeeper

The Ligue 1 game between Montpellier and Clermont was abandoned after a firecracker was thrown at visiting goalkeeper Mory Diaw on Sunday at Stade de la Mosson.

In Montpellier, television pictures showed a firecracker landing next to the feet of Clermont goalkeeper Diaw and exploding with a loud bang, just as the match was entering stoppage time.

A clearly stunned Diaw went down and needed treatment before being stretchered off, and the game was halted before being abandoned following a crisis meeting.

“The doctor who examined the Clermont goalkeeper certified that he was not in a condition to return to the field. The match is therefore halted definitively,” referee Florent Batta told media at the Stade de la Mosson.

Montpellier were leading 4-2 and on course for their first home win of the season until the incident, and now risk serious punishment with the prospect of having to replay the game without their fans at the very least.

A police spokesman told AFP that the suspected perpetrator had been arrested.

Diaw was able to return to Clermont with his teammates after the game and was due to undergo further tests on Monday, the club said.

“We are disgusted, disappointed and sad,” admitted Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin, as he complained that the actions of one individual “could penalise the whole team”.

On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) bounced back from their heavy Champions League loss at Newcastle United to beat Rennes 3-1 in Ligue 1.

PSG were thrashed 4-1 in Newcastle on Wednesday, a result and a performance which raised serious doubts about their prospects in Europe this season.

But they returned to form against Rennes at a ground where they have regularly struggled in recent years, recording a win which lifts them up to third in the table, two points behind leaders Monaco.

“We are always happy when we win, but I was also happy after the defeat at Newcastle,” claimed coach Luis Enrique.

He abandoned his experiment with playing four forwards, and the returning midfielder Vitinha opened the scoring with a brilliant arcing strike into the top corner from an Ousmane Dembele pass just after the half-hour mark.

It was 2-0 four minutes later when Warren Zaire-Emery crossed for Achraf Hakimi, arriving unmarked in the box, to head in.

Amine Gouiri headed home from close range to get Rennes back into the match in the 56th minute, but PSG scored again two minutes later as Hakimi’s low delivery was converted at the near post by Randal Kolo Muani, who had been dropped from the starting line-up.

Kolo Muani had another goal disallowed for offside, while Kylian Mbappe somehow shot over late on after a brilliant burst forward that had taken him around the goalkeeper.

“He might not have scored today, but he has been performing at a really high level since the start of the season,” Luis Enrique said of Mbappe.

“It is a bit bizarre when Kylian doesn’t score but it is just a side note.”

READ: La Liga: Roberto’s late equalizer helps Barcelona draw against Granada

PSG win record 11th French title

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain clinched a French record 11th league title on Saturday as Lionel Messi scored in a 1-1 draw away at Strasbourg.

Messi’s opener was cancelled out by a Kevin Gameiro equaliser, but the result gave PSG an unassailable four-point lead over second-placed Lens with one match of the season remaining.

PSG moved ahead of the previous record of 10 titles set by Saint-Etienne in 1981 and which they equalled a year ago under former coach Mauricio Pochettino.

It is PSG’s ninth title in the last 11 seasons, a period in which they have dominated French football under Qatari ownership.

“This afternoon I watched the last day of the season in the Bundesliga and you can see that it is very difficult to win the league, any league,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier told broadcaster Canal Plus.

“The reigning champions in all European leagues have often had problems this season, so we appreciate what this means.

“It is a title and we must not believe it is normal to win, even if we are Paris Saint-Germain.”

PSG started the penultimate weekend of the season six points clear of nearest rivals Lens with just six points to play for, and with a far better goal difference.

A Lens slip-up would have seen the capital side crowned champions with a game to spare even in defeat, but in the end they needed the draw as their challengers eased to a 3-0 win over already-relegated Ajaccio.

Kylian Mbappe set up Messi to put PSG ahead just before the hour with his 16th Ligue 1 goal this season.

Ex-Paris striker Gameiro equalised with 11 minutes left, bundling in the rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma had saved from Morgan Sanson.

The draw ultimately suited both teams as it enabled Strasbourg to guarantee their top-flight survival.

PSG started the season superbly and did not lose a game in any competition before the World Cup.

However, they lost six of their first 17 league games in 2023 and were eliminated from the Champions League in the last 16 by Bayern Munich and in the French Cup at the same stage.

Those results increased speculation that Galtier — who also won the title with Lille two years ago — will be replaced in the close season.

Messi is expected to depart when his contract expires at the end of the campaign, meaning next weekend’s match at home to Clermont is likely to be his last in a PSG shirt.

– Lens clinch Champions League ticket –

Lens secured second place and a ticket for next season’s Champions League group stage with their win against Ajaccio, which was sealed by first-half goals from Deiver Machado, Adrien Thomasson and Lois Openda.

Belgian striker Openda netted a penalty for his 20th goal in Ligue 1 this season.

Marseille, who lost 2-1 at home to Brest, must therefore settle for third place and will enter the Champions League in the third qualifying round.

Beneath them, Lille are in pole position to qualify for the Europa League after coming from behind to beat Nantes 2-1 and move up to fourth position.

Quentin Merlin put relegation-threatened Nantes in front in the far north, but two second-half penalties from Canada’s Jonathan David gave Lille the victory.

Lille are now a point above both Rennes and Monaco, who met on Saturday, with the Brittany side winning 2-0 thanks to second-half goals by Lovro Majer and Amine Gouiri.

Rennes are fifth, above Monaco on goal difference. Fifth place goes into next season’s Europa Conference League while sixth will not qualify for Europe at all.

Lyon’s European hopes were effectively ended despite a 3-0 win over Reims in which Alexandre Lacazette scored his 27th Ligue 1 goal this season, leaving him just one behind Mbappe, the division’s top marksman.

Nantes will go into the final weekend having to win to stand a chance of avoiding relegation as they sit 17th, two points behind Auxerre, who drew 1-1 at Toulouse.

Angers, Ajaccio and Troyes have already been relegated. Four teams go down and only two come up from Ligue 2 as the top flight is reduced from 20 clubs to 18 for next season.

There were also wins on Saturday for Angers, Nice and Clermont.

Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed fined for refusing to wear Rainbow jersey

Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed was fined by his club Nantes for refusing to play at the weekend in a protest against an anti-homophobia campaign in France’s Ligue 1.

According to the details, Mohamed was fined and excluded from the team sheet in Nantes’ match against Toulouse in the French League after the striker refused to don his team’s jersey, whose numbers were painted as the rainbow in support of LGBT rights.

Besides the players’ jerseys, armbands worn by captains and officials were also rainbow-coloured as the Ligue 1 recorded a protest campaign against homophobia.

According to the sources, Mostafa Mohamed’s refusal would only result in financial loss, however, the Egyptian forward will not be suspended from his side’s next Ligue 1 fixtures.

Mostafa Mohamed, a 25-year-old Muslim, took to his Twitter and explained his decision not to play and urged that his personal beliefs must be respected as well.

“I respect all differences. I respect all beliefs and all convictions. This respect extends to others but my personal beliefs must be respected as well,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Given my roots, my culture, the importance of my convictions and beliefs, it was not possible for me to participate in this campaign. I hope my decision will be respected.”

 

Nantes managed to hold 13th-placed Toulouse for a goalless draw to move one point behind Auxerre, just above the relegation zone.

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Messi guides PSG to victory on return after World Cup triumph

PARIS: Lionel Messi scored in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win over Angers in Ligue 1 on Wednesday on his first appearance since leading Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar.

Messi had been rested for PSG’s first three matches following the long break in the season caused by the World Cup but he returned to training in Paris a week ago and was back in the starting line-up for this game against Ligue 1’s bottom side.

The win, which came three and a half weeks after he captained Argentina to their World Cup final triumph on penalties against France in Qatar, saw PSG move six points clear at the top of the French table.

Neymar also started, having missed his team’s last two matches due to suspension and to undergo treatment on the ankle injury he suffered playing for Brazil at the World Cup.

Meanwhile Kylian Mbappe was rested for a second straight game having been afforded time off for a holiday in New York in the wake of his own World Cup campaign, which saw him score a hat-trick in the final but come out on the losing side.

Mbappe and Messi are expected to be reunited this weekend in Sunday’s match away to Rennes.

In the meantime the absence of the France star meant young striker Hugo Ekitike again started in the home attack at the Parc des Princes and he opened the scoring in the fifth minute from a Nordi Mukiele cross at the end of a move in which Messi also featured.

PSG were not at their sparkling best but Messi swept in his 13th club goal of the season to make it 2-0 with 17 minutes left.

Ekitike and Mukiele were again involved before Messi applied the finish. The goal was initially disallowed for offside but a VAR check allowed it to stand.

“Messi has recovered well. He is relaxed and in great shape physically, and with Leo the team looks different,” said coach Christophe Galtier.

Speaking to broadcaster Canal Plus, Galtier, who said he had come down with a fever during the game, added: “We are coming back off the World Cup so it is difficult for the players to find their reference points again.”

“We are all just getting used to playing together again and you could see at times that we lacked some of the connections between the players that we had more often before the World Cup.”

PSG extend lead over Lens 

It was a 10th straight league loss for Angers, while Galtier’s PSG team extended their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Lens were held to a 2-2 draw away at Strasbourg.

PSG’s unbeaten record this season had been ended in a 3-1 defeat away at Lens on New Year’s Day, but they bounced back to win 3-1 at third-tier Chateauroux in the French Cup at the weekend without any of their superstar attacking trio.

Lens are enjoying a fine season but could not get the better of struggling Strasbourg, who were playing their first game since the sacking of coach Julien Stephan.

Alexis Claude-Maurice put Lens ahead in Alsace only for Sanjin Prcic to equalise before Kevin Gameiro gave Strasbourg the lead.

Belgian international Lois Openda then made it 2-2 before the break, and there were no further goals.

Marseille are now just two points behind Lens in third place after a 2-0 win at Troyes, sealed thanks to goals by Chancel Mbemba and Jordan Veretout, the latter a member of France’s World Cup squad.

Rennes in fourth lost ground after having two men sent off before conceding in injury time to lose 2-1 away at Clermont.

Meanwhile fifth-placed Monaco drew 2-2 at Lorient, while Nice crushed Montpellier 6-1 in their first game since sacking coach Lucien Favre.

On-loan Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe and England international midfielder Ross Barkley both scored twice for Nice.

Lyon and Lille drew 0-0 away at Nantes and Brest respectively, while there were also wins for Toulouse and Ajaccio.

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