PARIS : Paris St .Germain won 3-0 away at Angers on Wednesday but will have to wait a little longer to be confirmed as Ligue 1 champions after nearest challengers Marseille beat Nantes 3-2.

PSG started the day 15 points clear with six games left and so knew they could clinch their eighth Ligue 1 crown in 10 years if second-placed Olympique de Marseille slipped up.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side got the result they needed, brushing aside struggling Angers after goals by Kylian Mbappe, Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos despite being without the injured Lionel Messi and the suspended Neymar.

However PSG, who had young midfielder Edouard Michut sent off in stoppage time, were made to wait for the record-equalling 10th title in their history as Amine Harit’s strike gave Marseille a 3-2 victory over Nantes at the Velodrome.

OM came from behind twice against Nantes through Dimitri Payet penalties before Harit struck in the 75th minute to secure a precious win for Jorge Sampaoli’s side as they chase Champions League qualification.

PSG have 77 points, leading Marseille by 15 points with five games left, and should they avoid defeat at the Parc des Princes against RC Lens on Saturday, they will clinch the title that puts them level on 10 with St Etienne, who won their titles between 1957 and 1981.

Stade Rennais are third on 56 points after losing 2-1 at Racing Strasbourg, who are now fourth behind them on goal difference, with Ludovic Ajorque grabbing their winner after Martin Terrier had cancelled out Habib Diallo’s early opener for the home side.

Also on 56 points are fifth-placed Monaco who beat Nice 1-0 at home thanks to a first-half strike by Russian international Aleksandr Golovin.

The top two qualify directly for the Champions League group stage while the third-placed side will play the third qualifying round.

Lens beat Montpellier 2-0 at home to cement seventh place. They have 53 points and trail sixth-placed Nice by one point, while Olympique Lyonnais and outgoing champions Lille saw their European hopes suffer potentially decisive blows.

Peter Bosz’s Lyon lost 2-1 away to Brest despite a 15th league goal of the season for Moussa Dembele, while a sublime Renato Sanches strike could not prevent Lille from going down 2-1 at Reims.

Meanwhile six-time champions Girondins Bordeaux remain in serious danger of being relegated to Ligue 2 after throwing away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to St Etienne.

The result means Bordeaux are 19th, four points and one place behind St Etienne who sit in the relegation play-off spot.

Clermont climbed above the latter and out of the relegation zone altogether by winning 1-0 at Troyes.

Bottom side Metz are eight points from outright safety after losing 1-0 at Lorient.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2022