Both PSG and Marseille rested the starters with their sights set on midweek Champions League games and their showdown next Sunday.

Marseille emerged victorious, despite Dimitri Payet’s 100th Ligue 1 goal. PSG escaped with a draw, despite Sergio Ramos’ 28th career red card.

PSG manager Christophe Galtier made five changes from the team that drew 1-1 at Benfica in midweek and his side spent much of the first 40 minutes on the back foot.

Reims pressed but struggled to create clear chances, while PSG were dangerous on the counterattack.

Yehvann Diouf flew to his right to save a shot from Fabian Ruiz and then blocked a powerful shot from Kylian Mbappe, when the only one of PSG’s three superstar strikers to start, he cleared in the 33rd minute.

Two minutes later, Marshall Munetsi spun into the PSG box but Gianluigi Donnarumma, the hero against Benfica in midweek, saved the low shot in the middle of the straight.

Four minutes before halftime, Ramos earned two quick yellow cards when PSG harassed referee Pierre Gaillouste to protest a free kick against Marco Verratti.

“I know Sergio Ramos well, I am not convinced that the insult that came out was directed at the referee. It is a training insult that is heard a lot in the field of Spain. The referee took it personally and ejected him,” Galtier said.

Reims, who had received six red cards – comfortably the most in Ligue 1 this season – struggled to exploit their lead.

Abner Zeneli made a hard save on Donnarumma early in the second half, but then the home team ran out of steam.

Neymar entered and shot wide when he was clean.

The match ended with a series of fouls followed by sulky clashes as Neymar, Achraf Hakimi, who had come on in the 88th minute, and Mbappe, as well as Reims’ Andrew Gravillon and Bradley Locko received yellow cards in added time.

“There was a lot of tension, I can’t explain it,” Galtier said. “On both sides, with many duels, clashes, discussions. Neither team was in control.”

‘Very angry’

Earlier, Marseille came back to earth after crushing Sporting Lisbon 4-1 in midweek and lost for the first time in Ligue 1 this season.

“We didn’t imagine we would remain undefeated all season, but it’s certainly difficult to lose at home to the last-placed team,” said coach Igor Tudor, who said he was “very angry”.

Tudor made seven changes to the starting eleven that overtook Sporting.

His team took the lead after 15 minutes when Dimitri Payet converted a penalty after a handball from Ajaccio defender Cedric Avinel.

It was the 35-year-old playmaker’s 100th goal in Ligue 1, 16 years after his first with Nantes.

The delight of the Velodrome public did not last long.

Ajaccio striker Bevic Moussiti-Oko equalized with a low left-footed shot, his first Ligue 1 goal, in the 25th minute.

The Corsicans had only scored five goals in nine games before Saturday but were helped when Argentine defender Leonardo Balerdi, who scored for Marseille on Tuesday, put the ball into his own net in the 47th minute.

Marseille pressed but the tie never came.

“I feel like even if we had played 200 minutes, we still wouldn’t have won,” Tudor said.

Marseille remain second, but Lens and Lorient could overtake them on Sunday.

Ajaccio climbed from last place to 18th in the 20-team league, but could return to last place at the end of the weekend.

“Maybe facing the last-place team didn’t motivate the Marseille players, especially after they opened the scoring,” Ajaccio coach Olivier Pantaloni said. “But maybe we also did what was necessary to annoy them.”