PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain continues to showcase its dominance in the French league, maintaining an unbeaten streak and holding a seven-point lead over its rivals at the season’s halfway mark after securing a 2-1 victory against Saint-Etienne on Sunday. Ousmane Dembélé was instrumental in PSG’s triumph, contributing both goals to the team’s tally.
After 17 matches, Marseille sits in second place, while Monaco trails significantly, 12 points behind the defending champions PSG, who have previously defeated both teams this season. Dembélé’s first goal came in the 13th minute, followed by a penalty conversion ten minutes later when a video review revealed a handball by Léo Pétrot on Achraf Hakimi’s cross. Many felt the penalty decision was harsh, as the ball merely grazed Pétrot’s hand without his awareness.
Dembélé’s performance elevates him to 10 league goals, placing him in a tie with teammate Bradley Barcola, just one behind league co-leaders Jonathan David from Lille and Mason Greenwood of Marseille. Barcola had a chance to extend his goal count just before halftime, but a controversial video review overturned his goal due to a foul he committed.
Speculation surrounds PSG regarding a potential transfer for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a winger from Georgia currently with Napoli. However, it was Zuriko Davitashvili, another Georgian, who brought some excitement to Saint-Etienne, scoring a beautifully curled free kick halfway through the second half despite his team’s struggles in 16th place. Even with their strong record this season, PSG appeared to show signs of unease, nearly allowing an equalizer.
In another match, Deiver Machado’s late goal helped seventh-place Lens secure a 2-1 win against Le Havre, moving them just a point behind sixth-placed Lyon. Machado’s decisive moment came in the 77th minute with a powerful header from a cross delivered by Poland’s Przemyslaw Frankowski. Meanwhile, central defender Abdukodir Khusanov was left out of the Lens squad amid rumors of an urgent transfer to Premier League champions Manchester City for around 50 million euros ($51 million). The young defender had joined Lens last season, marking a milestone as the first Uzbek player in Ligue 1, costing only 100,000 euros ($110,000) upon transfer from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU Minsk.
Le Havre had looked promising at the start with veteran Andre Ayew scoring in the eighth minute, marking his second consecutive match where he found the net after contributing a goal against Marseille previously. However, striker Goduine Koyalipou equalized for Lens in the 28th minute with a header on his debut after joining the team just days prior. Unfortunately for Le Havre, this defeat marked their fifth consecutive league loss, leaving them in 17th place.
Elsewhere, Strasbourg made strides in the league, reaching ninth place with a 2-1 victory over Toulouse, a match heavily influenced by video reviews on both sides. At the bottom of the table, Montpellier faced significant setbacks, losing 3-1 to Angers and losing two players to red cards in the closing moments of the game.
Emanuel Emegha starred for Strasbourg, netting two first-half goals and having a third ruled out for offside. Toulouse capitalized on an own-goal from Ismaël Doukouré in the 35th minute, but a potential equalizing penalty for Toulouse was overturned upon review, leading to a free-kick decision instead. Furthermore, Toulouse endured additional disappointment when Frank Magri’s anticipated equalizer was disallowed due to an offside call. Meanwhile, Esteban Lepaul made an impact for Angers, netting twice, while Montpellier’s Téji Savanier added a penalty to the scoresheet. Montpellier’s turmoil was compounded late in the match when both Boubakar Kouyaté and Jordan Ferri received red cards within a minute of each other. Zinedine Ferhat capped off a tough day for Montpellier by scoring the third for Angers in stoppage time.
