PSG beat Reims 3-0 in French league
PARIS, France (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain beat Reims 3-0 to provisionally move seven points clear at the top of the French league yesterday.
Lucas Moura fired into the top corner in the 24th minute and Jeremy Menez doubled the lead from a tight angle in the 60th. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his ninth league goal to seal the win in stoppage time.
Reims midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak missed a penalty in
the 68th.
PSG have not lost since March at Reims, 1-0.
Marseille beat Ajaccio 3-1 on Friday to pull within two points of third-place Monaco.
Also yesterday — Lyon 1, Valenciennes 1; Montpellier 1, Guingamp 1; Rennes 1, Bordeaux 1; Sochaux 1, Bastia 1; Evian 0, Lorient 4.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc rested some of his key players, leaving Blaise Matuidi, Edinson Cavani, Maxwell and Ezequiel Lavezzi on the bench. That did not prevent PSG from troubling Reims with the pace of wingers Lucas and Menez.
Lucas headed wide a cross from Christophe Jallet in the 23rd. But the Brazilian winger did not miss the target in the next minute.
Lucas won a header to redirect a clearance from Sirigu into the path of Ibrahimovic. The Swede played the ball back to Lucas, who outpaced Reims centreback Mickael Tacalfred and shot past goalkeeper Kossi Agassa.
Reims came close to equalising in the 43rd. Tacalfred’s long-range strike took a deflection off a PSG defender but Sirigu jumped to tip the ball over the bar. From the following corner, Sirigu spilled the ball and was lucky to see Reims striker Gaetan Courtet’s flick cleared off the line by Marco Verratti.
Today, second-place Lille host Toulouse, Monaco visit Nantes, and Saint-Etienne face Nice.