The French Ligue 1 title race is going down to the final day after leaders Lille were held by Saint-Etienne, allowing Paris Saint-Germain to close the gap to one point after their comfortable 4-0 victory over Reims.
Lille would have claimed the title had they bettered PSG’s result but the Parisians got the job done with a 4-0 victory while the league leaders faltered, being held to a goalless draw.
PSG never looked like slipping up as Reims had Yunis Abdelhamid sent off after just 10 minutes. Neymar, who recently renewed his contract with PSG and has committed to the French club, scored for the hosts from the penalty spot in the 13th minute before Kylian Mbappe doubled their advantage in the 24th minute.
Marquinhos scored in the 68th minute and Moise Kean added the finishing touches towards the end in the 89th minute to complete a comfortable win for the home team.
Lille, who could not find the telling goal in the closing stages, have a fixture that you would expect them to win as they face mid-table Angers. PSG also should comprehensively beat 16th-placed Brest in their final league games next Sunday but the pressure and the uncertainty of football are the charms of sport.
Monaco, who face Lens in their last fixture, also remain in the title picture, three points behind Lille, following their 2-1 win over Rennes but they would need PSG to lose or draw and Lille to lose to win the title.
In a dominant first half, Neymar’s 13th-minute penalty into the bottom corner put Mauricio Pochettino’s reigning champions ahead after Abdelhamid was dismissed for handling Mbappe’s shot in the box.
Mbappe then scored his 40th goal in all competitions this season 2020-21 – and his 26th league goal – when he pounced on a defensive mistake. His red-hot form in Ligue 1 just proves what a generational talent he is.
Marquinhos headed in Neymar’s corner after 68 minutes and substitute Kean finished things off right at the end for a resounding 4-0 victory.
It is going to be a thrilling final day in France and Monaco as we get ready for the league title to be decided. The drama is far from over.
