There was no Champions League hangover for Paris Saint-Germain as they continued their relentless march toward another Ligue 1 title by outclassing Stade de Reims 4-1 on Saturday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring twice.
The Swede got the opener in Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League last-16, first-leg win against Chelsea and he scored once in each half on Saturday to take his tally for the season to 23 league goals and 30 in all competitions.
Ibrahimovic is playing some of the best soccer of his career at the moment and the 34-year-old also set up the opener for Gregory van der Wiel and assisted Edinson Cavani’s goal as Paris maintained their unbeaten domestic record this season.
Photo: AP
Prince Oniangue had equalized for Reims in the first half, but PSG were too strong and remain a huge 24 points clear at the top of the table from second-placed AS Monaco, who beat bottom club ESTAC Troyes 3-1.
Laurent Blanc’s side extended their Ligue 1 record unbeaten run to 36 matches and the only black mark on their day was the first-half substitution of Angel Di Maria, although that was merely a precautionary measure.
“We are satisfied with the win of course, but also with the way the team played four days after a Champions League match,” Blanc said.
With Serge Aurier still absent after being suspended by the club for insulting Blanc and several teammates in a video posted on social media, Van der Wiel started at rightback for PSG and it was the Dutchman who opened the scoring in the 12th minute.
Van der Wiel started the move and found Ibrahimovic before running onto the Swede’s superb return ball to fire past Johann Carrasso, who was making his debut in goal for the visitors.
However, Reims drew level in the 34th minute when Kevin Trapp got nowhere near a Nicolas de Preville free-kick delivery and Congolese midfielder Oniangue gleefully headed in.
Di Maria was then replaced by Lucas, apparently with a minor hamstring complaint, before Paris went back in front two minutes before the interval.
Ibrahimovic initially tried to exchange passes with Lucas only for Franck Signorino to block, but the ball came back to the former Barcelona striker and he tucked home.
There was still time for the hosts to make it 3-1 in stoppage time at the end of the first period, with Layvin Kurzawa and Ibrahimovic combining to set up Cavani.
The Uruguayan had been brought into the starting lineup after coming off the bench to get the winner against Chelsea and his first-time finish past Carrasso was his 16th goal this season.
Blanc replaced the tired Marco Verratti with Blaise Matuidi at the start of a second half, which was a quieter affair, although PSG got their fourth goal on 68 minutes.
Matuidi worked the ball out to Van der Wiel on the right and his cross was converted by Ibrahimovic at the back post, although he was clearly in an offside position when the ball came in.
Argentine striker Guido Carrillo, an expensive signing last summer from Estudiantes, had scored just two league goals for Monaco before the meeting with Troyes at the Stade Louis II.
However, he doubled his tally in the first half in the principality with a brace of headers and highly-rated 17-year-old substitute Kylian Mbappe made sure of the points after Babacar Gueye pulled one back for Troyes.
Elsewhere, Martin Braithwaite’s stoppage-time equalizer earned Toulouse a 1-1 draw with relegation rivals Gazelec Ajaccio, while Montpellier Herault won 3-2 at Angers SCO and a 93rd-minute Raphael Guerreiro free-kick saw Lorient beat En Avant de Guingamp 4-3.
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