PARIS (AP) — Unbeaten Paris Saint-Germain moved within touching distance of a record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title after overwhelming Saint-Etienne 6-1 on Saturday.
After Marseille lost at Reims 3-1 earlier Saturday, PSG played its part then could have clinched the title if Monaco drew at home to Riviera rival Nice in the late game.
They were 1-1 until the 73rd minute when Monaco scored again and won 2-1.
Monaco moved up to second place and was 21 points behind PSG with seven games left, meaning PSG needs only a draw at home to Angers next Saturday to again be crowned as the French champion.
PSG enjoys second half romp
PSG fell behind early to a well-worked goal when Swedish forward Lucas Stassin headed in Zuriko Davitashvili’s left-wing cross.
But after Gonçalo Ramos equalized with a late first-half penalty, 17th-placed Saint-Etienne collapsed after the break. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired PSG ahead and Désiré Doué scored twice either side of a João Neves goal.
The 17-year-old substitute Ibrahim Mbaye completed the rout in the 90th minute with his first goal for PSG.
Monaco prevails
In the late game, Monaco striker Mika Biereth had an early penalty saved by goalkeeper Marcin Bułka and Nice took the lead shortly before the break when Jérémie Boga headed in a cross.
Biereth equalized in the 55th after latching onto Maghnes Akliouche’s clever flick and shooting into the top right corner for his 12th league goal.
The lively Akliouche then showed good skill to set up Breel Embolo in the 73rd. U.S. striker Folarin Balogun went on as a late substitute for Monaco after recovering from shoulder surgery and almost scored.
Veteran Nice captain Dante, who is 41, was sent off in stoppage time for fouling Akliouche as he went clean through.
Marseille stunned by Reims
Earlier, Marseille dominated before falling behind in the 29th. Japan forward Keito Nakamura wrong-footed defender Leonardo Balerdi inside the penalty area and curled the ball in for his ninth league goal.
Careless play led to the second goal as Reims broke from midfield and Nakamura shrugged off Valentin Rongier before setting up Mamadou Diakhon for a left-foot finish.
Valentin Atangana added the third and Rongier pulled one back for inconsistent Marseille, which slipped to its fourth defeat in five games.
Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot was scathing about the attitude of some of his teammates.
“It's just not good enough. I get the impression of watching guys who don't want to play in the Champions League next season,” Rabiot told broadcaster beIN SPORTS. "If some players don't want to, then they should say so before the game and just not play.”
It was Reims' first league win since November.
Ultras protest government crackdown
Several thousand Saint-Etienne fans took to the streets before their game in a protest march against French interior minister Bruno Retailleau's plan to dissolve the club's two main ultras groups, the Magic Fans and the Green Angels.
Those at the front carried a giant green banner in the club's colors, which read "Le Chaudron Ne Se Dissout Pas” (The Cauldron Does Not Dissolve). The Cauldron is the nickname given to Saint-Etienne's Stade Geoffroy-Guichard because of its intense atmosphere.
Club president Ivan Gazidis joined the fans.
“I am very happy to see our city united," he said. "It’s a wonderful response to this unfair process that will resolve nothing.”
Other groups of ultras are also under threat of being disbanded. The French interior ministry said there has been soccer-related violence at 64 matches this season, leading to 627 arrests.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press