Merciless PSG lift French title again
Paris Saint-Germain won the French league title after beating defending champions Monaco 7-1 yesterday, with the crushing victory highlighting the obvious gulf between the two teams this season.
Monaco meekly surrendered the title that they had won so impressively last season, doing little to prolong the suspense. They was losing 4-0 after 28 minutes as PSG easily did enough for a fifth title in six seasons and a seventh overall. PSG lead second-place Monaco by 17 points with five rounds remaining.
Midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and winger Angel Di Maria scored two goals each, while league top scorer Edinson Cavani grabbed his 25th of the season.
PSG captain Thiago Silva’s header went in off Radamel Falcao – Monaco’s top scorer – for PSG’s sixth goal before Germany winger Julian Draxler netted the seventh.
ATTACKING FOOTBALL
Monaco thrilled Europe last season with a scintillating brand of attacking football, producing more than 150 goals and taking the side to the Champions League semi-finals. They made a fortune selling their best players – including teen star Kylian Mbappe to PSG for 180 million euros but appear to have paid the price on the field.
Now Monaco faces a scrap to hold onto second place and an automatic Champions League berth, with Lyon and Marseille just four points behind.
Earlier, Marseille secured a last-gasp 3-2 win at Troyes to move level on points with Lyon, which are in third place on goal difference.
Dimitri Payet set up the equaliser before Florian Thauvin grabbed the late winner against a spirited Troyes side.
Marseille, which reached the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday thanks to a masterful midfield display from Payet, made an awful start.
Striker Samuel Grandsir put Troyes ahead in the first minute and, after forward Clinton N’Jie equalised in the 11th, 19thplace Troyes regained the lead through 41-year-old midfielder Benjamin Nivet.
Then Payet set up Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou in the 75th and the irrepressible Thauvin volleyed home left back Jordan Amavi’s cross in the 86th for his 17th league goal.