Psg Vs Metz as PSG reclaim Ligue 1 lead after Lens collapse
Paris Saint-Germain brushed aside struggling Metz 3-0 at the Parc des Princes in the fixture billed Psg Vs Metz, moving back to the top of the Ligue 1 table after Lens lost 3-2 to Monaco.
Psg Vs Metz at the Parc des Princes
PSG made short work of the division's bottom club, with Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos all finding the net in a 3-0 win at the Parc des Princes. Doue opened the scoring inside three minutes, racing through from halfway and finishing after a pass over the top from Warren Zaire-Emery. Barcola added the second in first-half stoppage time, finishing practically on the line after Metz goalkeeper Jonathan Fischer had kept out a Lucas Hernandez header from a corner. Ramos squandered a good chance in the second half before turning in an emphatic finish inside the final quarter of an hour for his 11th goal of the campaign.
How Doue moved into the starting line-up
Desire Doue started after having been introduced off the bench for the injured Ousmane Dembele in the midweek match, and he had also scored twice after coming on in a 3-2 midweek win away to Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase play-off tie. Luis Enrique rested several key players for the match against Metz and Dembele was not involved at all as PSG prepare for the second leg against Monaco this coming Wednesday.
Lens collapse hands PSG the chance to reclaim top spot
Lens began the day a point ahead of PSG but their lead evaporated when they surrendered a two-goal advantage to lose 3-2 at home to Monaco. Odsonne Edouard fired in the opener from an Adrien Thomasson lay-off after just three minutes, and Florian Thauvin doubled the lead on 56 minutes. Monaco pulled one back just after the hour mark through Folarin Balogun, the United States forward scoring his 11th goal of the season in all competitions. Denis Zakaria then equalised and substitute Ansu Fati netted the winner, completing three goals for Monaco in an 11-minute second-half spell. The defeat ended Lens’s run of home form — their first home loss since August — and came despite Lens arriving at the weekend with the best defensive record in the division. Pierre Sage called the collapse "stupid, " saying, "We had the victory in our hands, " and added that the squad were very disappointed but must not play the victim and should use the experience to grow.
Weekend previews and where teams stood going into the fixtures
Previews listed three Ligue 1 matches on Saturday: psg vs metz at the Parc des Princes, Lens against Monaco at Stade Bollaert-Delelis and Toulouse hosting Paris FC at Stadium de Toulouse on matchday 23. Lens had been lifted back into first by a 5-0 thumping of Paris FC that left them a point above Paris Saint-Germain heading into the weekend; Monaco sat eighth after a 3-1 win over Nantes. Toulouse were 10th after losing 2-1 at Le Havre the previous Sunday, while Paris FC were 15th after the 5-0 home defeat by Lens. Previews noted that Metz could temporarily climb out of the Ligue 1 basement with a win at the Parc des Princes, pointing out that Metz remained dead last after a 3-1 home loss to Auxerre, while PSG had been dropped to second by a 3-1 defeat at Rennes earlier.
Immediate consequences and the next fixtures
PSG sit two points ahead of Lens with 11 games of the season remaining. Lyon, in third, can move to within six points of the table-toppers if they win away at Strasbourg on Sunday. PSG face the second leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie against Monaco this coming Wednesday, and Luis Enrique has signalled squad rotation as he manages domestic and European fixtures.
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