Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain stretched their lead in Ligue 1 to 13 points on Saturday after claiming a 2-1 victory away to Lorient amid tight security after the attacks in Paris.
Playing for the first time since the attacks, the capital club extended their winning run to eight matches through first-half goals from Hervin Ongenda and Blaise Matuidi at the Stade Yves Allainmat.
Benjamin Moukandjo netted his league-best 10th goal to set up a nervy finish, but Lorient ultimately suffered their first defeat in six outings.
Photo: Reuters
“It’s very positive in the sense that we continue our very satisfying run,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc said. “Even if the context in which we prepared for this match was difficult, I think we can be pleased tonight.”
“I’m not going to hide from you that I really want to get back to Paris and be with my family, though,” he added.
Tightened security checks were in place in Brittany, much like the rest of the nation, just eight days after terrorist attacks in Paris and by the Stade de France left 130 people dead and more than 350 injured.
France’s national anthem, La Marseillaise, rang out around the ground before a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the victims.
Eleven doves of peace were released into the sky ahead of kickoff, while PSG players wore shirts adorned with the words “Je suis Paris” (I am Paris) below the club crest.
Blanc had admitted it would not be easy for his team to focus on the game following the atrocities, but said none of his players had asked him to be left out of Saturday’s squad.
However, the league leaders were without Javier Pastore, Marco Verratti, Angel di Maria and Ezequiel Lavezzi due to injury, while David Luiz was rested to protect his knee from Lorient’s artificial surface.
PSG had won on each of their previous four visits to Lorient and duly grabbed a 26th-minute lead through academy product Ongenda, who poked home Gregory van der Wiel’s cross for his first goal in the top flight.
Ongenda had a hand in the visitors’ second goal six minutes later, releasing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with the Swede then squaring for Matuidi to guide past Lorient goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte from close range.
Sylvain Ripoll’s hosts had lost just once since August and nearly found a way back into the contest when Raphael Guerreiro sent an effort just wide of Kevin Trapp’s right-hand post early in the second half.
Lorient did eventually pull one back on 82 minutes when Cameroonian striker Moukandjo, who has five goals in his past three matches, headed in substitute Romain Philippoteaux’s cross, but it served as nothing more than a consolation.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Mario Pasalic’s 43rd-minute goal earned AS Monaco a 1-0 victory over Nantes, while En Avant de Guingamp defeated second-from-bottom Toulouse 2-0.
Montpellier Herault made it five games unbeaten with a 3-1 defeat of a Stade de Reims side in free fall as they lost their sixth straight match.
ESTAC Troyes remain winless following a 1-1 draw with Lille OSC, who were playing their first game following the sacking of coach Herve Renard.
The match between SC Bastia and Gazelec Ajaccio was postponed due to heavy winds.
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