Edinson Cavani punished Nantes for missing clear chances by scoring both goals as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0 away from home to move one point behind leaders OGC Nice.
Cavani is thriving now that he is out of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s shadow and has 20 league goals in 19 games this season — the most he has scored since joining PSG from SSC Napoli for more than 60 million euros (US$64 million) in the summer of 2013.
Cavani has 26 goals in as many games in all competitions this season and is on track to beat his career-best mark of 38 in his final season with Napoli.
Photo: AFP
Ibrahimovic usually grabbed the headlines for PSG in recent years, but when he left to join Manchester United in the off season it freed Cavani to play in his favored centerforward’s role, rather than as a winger to suit Ibrahimovic.
Cavan’s first goal came when he finished off a flowing move and a first-time cross from Brazilian winger Lucas in the 21st minute, and he curled in a superb free-kick midway through the second half.
PSG moved level on points with AS Monaco, but were in third place because of a superior goal difference for Monaco, who were to play Lorient yesterday for a shot at the outright lead.
It was PSG’s fifth straight win in league and cup competitions without conceding a goal, but Emiliano Sala should have put Nantes ahead before Cavani’s first goal and Nantes also missed a chance to equalize before his second.
Heading into the match, Nantes had only lost once in seven games since Sergio Conceicao took charge early last month. Confidence showed as Nantes began at a frenetic pace, closing down PSG’s players and depriving them of space to pass.
The pressure almost worked when PSG rightback Thomas Meunier clumsily hacked the ball away in the eighth minute. It landed straight for Sala, who hurried his shot with the goal at his mercy and saw twe ball fly into the side netting.
“They put us under pressure, but we got out of it well,” PSG coach Unai Emery said.
The only drawback for PSG was when Germany winger Julian Draxler limped off in the 68th minute. Moments earlier, he sat down clutching his left calf muscle.
“It’s just a cut,” Emery said.
Elsewhere, midfielder Valentin Vada’s first career league goal came in the first minute as Girondins de Bordeaux beat Toulouse 1-0.
Former France star midfielder Yoann Gourcuff scored the equalizer for Stade Rennais in a 1-1 draw away to fifth-placed En Avant de Guingamp.
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