Monaco win makes PSG wait for Ligue 1 title

PARIS: Monaco’s 1-0 win over Lille on Wednesday left Paris Saint-Germain to wait at least until this weekend before securing yet another French Ligue 1 title.

Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe both scored twice as PSG eased to a 4-1 victory at Lorient earlier, meaning a slipup by second-placed Monaco in the day’s late game would confirm the Qatar-owned club as champions.

However, Youssouf Fofana’s second-half strike proved enough to give in-form Monaco their fourth consecutive win as they strengthened their grip on second place.

The principality club are the only team who can still mathematically catch PSG with four games remaining, but the gap is 11 points and will surely not be made up.

Luis Enrique’s side will have the chance to guarantee the championship on Saturday with a victory when they entertain relegation-threatened Le Havre.

It will be a record-extending 12th French league championship triumph for the Parisians, and a 10th in the last 12 campaigns going back to the start of the Qatar era which has transformed Ligue 1.

PSG have a potential treble in their sights, with an upcoming Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund and the French Cup final against Lyon next month.

They made short work of relegation-threatened Lorient in Brittany despite making a host of changes, with captain Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi and Vitinha among the players rested.

“We did our job. We were serious and we got all three points, despite making numerous changes,” Luis Enrique said.

“As long as the school year is not finished we cannot get our final grade,” he added when asked about the prospect of clinching the title.

“What is happening is exciting. We are close, but we still have a month of the season to go, with other things to accomplish.

“There are seven or eight matches left, and to get to the eighth we will need to remain fully focused,” added the Spaniard in reference to the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1.

PSG were looking to extend their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to 25 games going back to September and their only loss of the campaign so far, at home to Nice.

Lorient, in contrast, were aiming to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat and climb out of the automatic relegation places.

— AFP photo Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during the French Ligue 1 match against Lille at the Louis II Stadium in the Principality of Monaco.