PARIS — Ousmane Dembélé achieved his second consecutive hat trick as Paris Saint-Germain dominated Brest with a 5-2 victory, enabling them to extend their lead in Ligue 1 to 13 points ahead of Marseille on Saturday.

Dembélé is experiencing a remarkable scoring season, having previously netted three goals against Stuttgart in the Champions League just three days prior.

PSG opened the scoring when fast left winger Bradley Barcola outpaced the defense, providing Dembélé with a straightforward finish in the 29th minute.

Brest managed a response shortly after halftime when midfielder Romain Del Castillo unleashed a curling shot that beat PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 50th minute, capitalizing on PSG’s inability to handle a high ball.

Just six minutes later, Dembélé found the net again after Brest mismanaged a long ball, allowing him to slot it home from the edge of the penalty area. He later completed his hat trick, connecting perfectly with a clever pass from Lee Kang-in, bringing his league tally to 14 and his total for the season to 19 goals.

Despite their potent offense, PSG’s vulnerabilities in defense persisted, with Brest’s imposing striker Ludovic Ajorque scoring in the 71st minute as he outperformed defender Willian Pacho.

Ajorque will be a key player for Brest in the upcoming Champions League playoffs, where the two teams will face off again to vie for a spot in the round of 16.

Late in the match, striker Gonçalo Ramos netted two goals, further punishing Brest with swift counterattacks.

In other action, new recruit Mika Biereth shone for Monaco, notching a hat trick within eight minutes of the second half as Monaco defeated Auxerre 4-2, maintaining third place in the standings.

Monaco had taken the lead in the 35th minute with a stunning shot from left back Thilo Kehrer into the upper left corner. However, Auxerre soon equalized with an impressive shot from defender Sinaly Diomandé that sailed into the top right corner.

Before halftime, Brazilian defender Jubal converted a penalty after Monaco’s captain Denis Zakaria was unfairly penalized for a tug.

Biereth turned the contest around, scoring the equalizer in the 57th minute from a pass by Breel Embolo, and quickly added another in the 63rd, expertly volleying a dipping cross from Brazilian Caio Henrique into the opposite corner.

Auxerre struggled to keep track of the clever movements of the 21-year-old Danish striker, who sealed his hat trick just two minutes later.

This victory saw Monaco tie on points with Marseille, who are sitting in second place due to a superior goal difference.

Meanwhile, Lille kept up their scoring spree by beating struggling Saint-Etienne 4-1 after their recent six-goal outburst against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Saint-Etienne initially took the lead with a penalty converted by Zuriko Davitashvili. However, Lille’s Jonathan David struck back from the spot himself, marking his 20th goal across all competitions, including six in the Champions League.

The match swung in Lille’s favor following the sending off of Saint-Etienne defender Dylan Batubinsika shortly after halftime.

Substitute Osame Sahraoui added two goals, while left back Gabriel Gudmundsson contributed one, ensuring Lille remained two points behind Monaco in the standings. This defeat left Saint-Etienne in 15th place overall.