May 14, (THEWILL) – Paris Saint-Germain took another significant stride towards defending their Ligue 1 title with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Ajaccio, aided by Kylian Mbappe’s impressive double and the return of Lionel Messi from his club-imposed suspension.
While Messi faced jeers from some home fans due to his unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, it was Mbappe who stole the spotlight with two goals in the second half. PSG took control of the game early on, with Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi giving them a commanding halftime lead. Ajaccio’s relegation to Ligue 2 was sealed when Mohamed Youssouf put the ball into his own net.
The match saw both teams reduced to 10 men as Hakimi and Thomas Mangani were shown red cards for their altercation, but it did not dampen PSG’s spirits as they reestablished a six-point lead over second-placed Lens.
Mbappe took another step towards topping the Ligue 1 scoring charts with his brace. It took his tally to 26 goals for the season, putting him two ahead of Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette. He has now reached the 25-goal mark in four different Ligue 1 campaigns, a feat accomplished only by Thadee Cisowski since the Second World War. Cisowski achieved the feat in the 1950s and early 1960s, scoring 25 goals or more in four seasons.
Those late scuffles resulting in the dismissals of Hakimi and Mangani aside, Ajaccio offered little resistance throughout the game. PSG will visit Auxerre next Sunday, and a victory would all but secure their fifth league title in six seasons, while Ajaccio will host Rennes on the same day.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
