Ligue 1 Newsletter

BEST OF ROUND 31

Paris Saint-Germain got the better of title-rivals Lens, Marseille saw off Troyes and Monaco beat Lorient to stay in contention. Check out the action from Round 31 of Ligue 1 Uber Eats here!

PSG claim decisive win

Paris Saint-Germain were victorious in the battle of the top two, beating ten-man Lens 3-1 at the Parc des Princes.

Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring for the hosts (32') shortly after Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed saw red for a reckless challenge on Achraf Hakimi. Portuguese midfielder Vitinha added a second (37') before Lionel Messi finished off a well-worked move (40'), to make it 3-0.

Lens coach Franck Haise said: "The first feeling is of disappointment when you lose a game. The first 20 minutes, we were well in the game. Being 3-0 down at half-time is difficult to take. The second feeling is to be proud, to have stayed competitive in the match. We scored once but we could have scored a second."

Przemysław Frankowski pulled one back for Lens from the penalty spot (60').

Marseille climb into second

Marseille leapfrogged Lens into second place after beating Troyes 3-1 at the Orange Velodrome.

Two goals from Vitinha (2' & 64') and another from Cengiz Ünder (40') gave Igor Tudor's side a valuable three points ahead of next weekend's trip to Lyon. Mama Baldé pulled a goal back for Troyes in added time.

Monaco stay in touch 

Monaco kept their podium hopes alive with a 3-1 win at home to Lorient.

Krépin Diatta (14') and Aleksandr Golovin (28') fired Philippe Clément's side into a two-goal advantage before Kevin Volland's sumptuous effort (55') further extended their lead. Ibrahima Koné replied for Lorient from the penalty spot (86').

LOSC bounce back

LOSC put last weekend's defeat at Angers firmly behind them by seeing off Montpellier 2-1 at the Decathlon Arena.

Quick fire goals from Jonathan David (70') and Rémy Cabella (72') cancelled out Issiaga Sylla's opener for Montpellier (24').

"We needed this win," said PSG midfielder Vitinha, who registered his first-ever goal for the club. "We will give everything in the seven remaining games. We must maintain this determination to give ourselves the best chance. We are now nine points ahead - that's a big lead but it's not a decisive one. It's not over yet."