PSG edged closer to a record 11th French title when they beat AC Ajaccio 5-0
On Saturday Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) moved closer to their record 11th French title after defeating AC Ajaccio 5-0 at home, which sent the Corsican team into Ligue 2. Despite Lionel Messi's appearance, the fans at the Parc des Princes jeered the Argentinian before and during the match.
PSG now has 81 points with three games left, leading second-placed RC Lens by six points. Meanwhile, third-placed Olympique de Marseille, who will host bottom side Angers on Sunday, is five points behind Lens.
In the encounter, PSG dominated with goals by Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, a double by Kylian Mbappe, and Mohamed Youssouf's own goal. Both teams finished with ten men after Hakimi and Ajaccio's Thomas Mangani were sent off late. PSG now sits comfortably at the top of the Ligue 1 table, while Ajaccio stands at 18th place on 23 points, eleven points from 16th-placed AJ Auxerre. The last four clubs in the 20-team Ligue 1 will go down at the end of the season.
Messi, who had missed training last month, was suspended by the club, and he started the match after returning to training on Monday. The media reported that Messi had been suspended for two weeks after making an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, missing a training session as a result. The player apologized to PSG and his teammates last Friday and was left out of the squad for their 3-1 win at second-bottom Troyes two days later.
However, the crowd at Parc des Princes jeered Messi's name when he was announced in the lineup, and he was booed when he first touched the ball. Messi was below par on Saturday as PSG bulldozed past Ajaccio.
Ruiz opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a whipped shot, ten minutes before Hakimi doubled the tally by poking home the ball from Mbappe's deflected shot. Mbappe made it 3-0 two minutes into the second half with a shot from a cross and added another goal in more spectacular fashion with a volley from the edge of the box in the 54th minute. Youssouf then deflected a Marquinhos cross into his own goal in the 73rd minute before Hakimi and Mangani were both shown a straight red card for losing their tempers with brutal challenges.
PSG now has a comfortable lead in the league with three games left, while Ajaccio faces relegation. With PSG's star-studded lineup, including Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar, the team is looking forward to securing their record 11th French title in the coming weeks.
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