Paris Saint-Germain continued their relentless quest to retain the Ligue 1 crown on Sunday as they overcame bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille 2-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris to move eight points clear.
Laurent Blanc’s side notched up their 19th win in 27 outings, against just one defeat, as they rode second-half goals from Brazilian leftback Maxwell and Uruguayan Edinson Cavani to see off Jose Anigo’s side.
Ligue 1 top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic released former Inter and Barcelona defender Maxwell on 50 minutes and the Brazil international calmly placed the ball beyond Steve Mandanda in the visitors’ goal.
Photo: EPA
Blanc’s men locked up shop following the goal and rarely gave Marseille a clear-cut chance as they extended their record to 16 wins and three draws after opening the scoring.
Striker Cavani, who came on as a second-half substitute after a month out injured, then sent the Paris faithful into raptures with a powerful headed finish with 11 minutes remaining to put the gloss on a fine evening’s work.
“It was very hard to be out injured for a month, so I’m very happy tonight,” Cavani told Canal Plus TV. “It was a great goal, and I just want to thank my teammates and to thank God for allowing me to come back tonight and score.”
Photo: AFP
Following second-placed AS Monaco’s 2-0 reverse at AS Saint-Etienne on Saturday, PSG are red hot favorites to retain the title they won last season for the first time since 1993-1994.
The capital club also play Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de la Ligue final and stand on the brink of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after thrashing Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen 4-0 in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie in Germany.
Earlier on Sunday, LOSC Lille Metropole’s Ivory Coast international Salomon Kalou fired a hat-trick to lift the northern French club past AC Ajaccio 3-2 in Corsica and back into third spot.
Photo: Reuters
The former Chelsea striker canceled out compatriot Junior Tallo’s shock first-minute opener to level the match from the penalty spot on 25 minutes, before scoring again seven minutes before halftime to put the visitors ahead.
Tallo leveled the match for the basement dwellers, who have won just two games all season, just before halftime, before Kalou completed his hat-trick, again from the penalty spot, 16 minutes from time to give Rene Girard’s side three crucial points.
“It’s really a miracle that we won tonight,” Girard said. “It was crucial to get third place back. Saint-Etienne have come back strong the last five matches and we have been battling for results for some time. The only thing positive from this match is the three points and we’re going to have to show a lot more in the coming weeks to keep our position.”
Lille are one point ahead of Saint-Etienne in the race for third place and the final UEFA Champions League spot. Ajaccio remain rooted to the foot of the table, 13 points adrift of safety and looking increasingly doomed to playing in the second tier next season.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Olympique Lyonnais were held up in their bid to gatecrash the top three with a 0-0 home draw against Montpellier Herault.
In a match that lacked inspiration for the neutral, Remi Garde’s men moved into a tie for sixth with Stade de Reims, but remain seven points behind Lille.
Montpellier, the 2001-2012 champions under Lille coach Girard, continue to ease away from the relegation zone under Rolland Courbis and are now joint 11th, 11 points above the relegation zone.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely