Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) solidified their dominance in Ligue 1 by defeating rivals Marseille 3-1, following their Champions League victory over Liverpool. Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring, and Nuno Mendes doubled PSG’s lead before halftime. An own goal by Pol Lirola sealed the win after Amine Gouiri pulled one back for Marseille. PSG remains unbeaten in the league this season, sitting 19 points ahead of Marseille with eight matches left, potentially set to clinch their 11th title in 13 seasons soon. In a separate game, Montpellier and Saint-Etienne’s match was abandoned due to crowd trouble, leaving Montpellier at the bottom of the table.
Paris Saint-Germain capped off a remarkable week by defeating their arch-rivals Marseille 3-1 on Sunday, taking a significant stride towards yet another Ligue 1 title. Meanwhile, the match between relegation-threatened Montpellier and Saint-Etienne was halted due to crowd disturbances. PSG followed up their Champions League triumph over Liverpool on Tuesday by outplaying Marseille at the Parc des Princes, a clash between the league’s top two sides. Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring, followed by Nuno Mendes adding a second before the break, and an own goal from Pol Lirola confirmed the victory after Amine Gouiri had reduced the deficit.
Under the management of Luis Enrique, PSG remains unbeaten after 26 Ligue 1 matches this season, enjoying an impressive 19-point lead over Marseille at the summit with eight games remaining.
This positions PSG to potentially secure their 11th title in 13 seasons during the upcoming games at the end of March.
If Marseille faces a defeat against Reims and Monaco ends in a draw with Nice on Saturday, March 29, Paris could clinch the title with a win at Saint-Etienne on the same day.
“This has been an outstanding week for us,” Luis Enrique stated.
“It was an entertaining match and a fantastic game. We might not have been as fluid as usual, but I’m still very pleased with our performance, making it an almost perfect night for us.”
Dembele found the net first in the 17th minute, receiving a pass from Fabian Ruiz, rounding Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, and finishing clinically into an open goal.
This marked Dembele’s 21st Ligue 1 goal of the season, totaling 30 across all competitions. Since mid-December, he has scored an impressive 25 goals in only 20 appearances.
Ruiz was involved again, setting up PSG’s second goal just before halftime as the Marseille defense lost concentration, allowing Ruiz to break through and assist Mendes, who scored after a slight deflection off Rulli.
Marseille was facing a potential third loss in four games and a seventh consecutive defeat to PSG in the league.
Gouiri pulled one back shortly after the break, as Adrien Rabiot took advantage of a poor backpass from Mendes, rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and set up the striker.
However, Dembele hit the post for PSG, and the third goal followed when substitute Lirola inadvertently turned Achraf Hakimi’s low cross into his own net.
Marseille now finds themselves just two points ahead of both third-placed Monaco and fourth-placed Nice, with Lyon trailing closely in fifth after a 4-2 victory over Le Havre.
Unsavoury scenes
In Montpellier, the encounter between the two bottom teams was interrupted in the second half after flares were thrown by fans, leading to a brief fire in a stand at the Stade de la Mosson.
Saint-Etienne were ahead 2-0 when the match was stopped in the 57th minute, leading to the decision to abandon the game shortly thereafter.
Referee Francois Letexier confirmed in a press conference that authorities had called off the match after police were compelled to intervene to restore order.
Local law enforcement reported seven minor injuries and two arrests.
Lucas Stassin had scored twice for Saint-Etienne, who were on track for a crucial win in their battle against relegation, even after being reduced to 10 men shortly before halftime.
“This situation has been developing for some time unfortunately,” acknowledged Montpellier coach Jean-Louis Gasset. “While it may not have escalated to this extent, it is almost predictable that it would happen.”
Montpellier stands last in the standings, five points behind Saint-Etienne, who are just a point off Le Havre in the relegation play-off position and three points shy of outright safety.
The disturbances occurred just after Saint-Etienne’s second goal, with additional incidents taking place outside the stadium.
The hotel housing the Saint-Etienne team was also targeted overnight, with fireworks directed at its facade around 3:00 am local time. Fortunately, police reported no injuries or significant damage.
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