FOOTBALL NEWS FROM LIGUE 1
Rennes beaten as PSG march on
Paris Saint-Germain consolidated their position at the top of Ligue 1 table with a routine 3-1 win over mid-table Rennes.
The defending champions had lost on their last four visits to the Stade de la Route de Lorient, but Thiago Motta gave them a half-time lead which was extended by Zlatan Ibrahimovic from the penalty spot early in the second half.
Romain Alessandrini gave the home crowd hope of a comeback with a free-kick, but Edinson Cavani's strike in the final minute wrapped up PSG's sixth victory in seven league matches.
It took very little time for Laurent Blanc's men to settle, and a free-kick from Ibrahimovic after eight minutes gave Rennes something to think about as it skimmed the right-hand post on its way past.
The hosts failed to heed the warning, however, and were behind 10 minutes later when a poor clearance from Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner fell kindly for Motta, who curled left footed beyond the reach of Benoit Costil.
This time Rennes responded, and Armel Kana-Biyik was unfortunate to see his header from Alessandrini's corner on the half hour go narrowly wide.
And the pair combined again as the interval approached, with another precise set-piece from Alessandrini volleyed inches past the right post by the Cameroon defender.
Instead, it was PSG who doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half with a penalty from Ibrahimovic, who was brought down in the area by Cedric Hountondji.
Rennes managed to get themselves on the scoresheet after 67 minutes through Alessandrini, whose free-kick found a way over the wall and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
But PSG continued to look a class above and a third goal late on confirmed their superiority, with Marco Verratti laying the ball off for Cavani to round a defender and slot home.
Tweet
Paris Saint-Germain consolidated their position at the top of Ligue 1 table with a routine 3-1 win over mid-table Rennes.The defending champions had lost on their last four visits to the Stade de la Route de Lorient, but Thiago Motta gave them a half-time lead which was extended by Zlatan Ibrahimovic from the penalty spot early in the second half.
Romain Alessandrini gave the home crowd hope of a comeback with a free-kick, but Edinson Cavani's strike in the final minute wrapped up PSG's sixth victory in seven league matches.
It took very little time for Laurent Blanc's men to settle, and a free-kick from Ibrahimovic after eight minutes gave Rennes something to think about as it skimmed the right-hand post on its way past.
The hosts failed to heed the warning, however, and were behind 10 minutes later when a poor clearance from Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner fell kindly for Motta, who curled left footed beyond the reach of Benoit Costil.
This time Rennes responded, and Armel Kana-Biyik was unfortunate to see his header from Alessandrini's corner on the half hour go narrowly wide.
And the pair combined again as the interval approached, with another precise set-piece from Alessandrini volleyed inches past the right post by the Cameroon defender.
Instead, it was PSG who doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half with a penalty from Ibrahimovic, who was brought down in the area by Cedric Hountondji.
Rennes managed to get themselves on the scoresheet after 67 minutes through Alessandrini, whose free-kick found a way over the wall and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
But PSG continued to look a class above and a third goal late on confirmed their superiority, with Marco Verratti laying the ball off for Cavani to round a defender and slot home.