Paris Saint-Germain left it late before giving renewed life to their title push on Wednesday with a 5-2 victory at struggling northern outfit Boulogne.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime following a superb 36th-minute goal from Boulogne’s Guillaume Ducatel, the Parisians sparked into life on the hour mark with four goals in a 10-minute spree.
Midfielder Clement Chantome got the equalizer after 60 minutes, with Peguy Luyindula stepping up to convert a penalty three minutes later. A double in the space of three minutes from striker Mevlut Erding (67, 70) put the visitors well on the way to victory.
PHOTO: AFP
Boulogne got one back through a Johan Ramare penalty in the 82nd minute, but Jean-Eudes Maurice slotted home the fifth for PSG four minutes from time following a Younousse Sankhare pass.
After their 1-0 win over Auxerre last weekend, PSG will be hoping to continue their form when they take on table-toppers Bordeaux tomorrow.
PSG coach Antoine Kombouare said he was satisfied his side were finally showing consistency, but warned against over-confidence ahead of their clash against Bordeaux.
“Finally, we have two consecutive wins and it’s the best way to prepare for Bordeaux. It gives us hope and confidence,” he said. “Some players have found their marks again, but Bordeaux aren’t Boulogne. We’ll go there with more confidence, but against the French champions it will be difficult. I remain wary.”
Boulogne had been looking to end a spriral of 10 matches without a victory, but hit by the absence of their emblematic captain Gregory Thil and midfielder Alexandre Cuvilier, suffered their fifth straight defeat.
PSG are six points behind leaders Bordeaux, while Boulogne are second from bottom.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with