Paris Saint-Germain solidified its commanding position in the French league with an impressive 4-1 victory over Lille on Saturday. The win serves as an excellent warm-up for PSG ahead of its crucial Champions League clash with Liverpool, set for Wednesday. In this upcoming match, PSG will welcome the Premier League leader for the first leg of their last 16 encounter.
Coach Luis Enrique chose to rest Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for this match, keeping him on the bench in preparation for the European fixture. Meanwhile, despite Lille’s prior request to postpone the game due to their own Champions League commitments against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, PSG pressed ahead undeterred.
The match kicked off with Bradley Barcola finding the net in the sixth minute, capitalizing on a rebound after Lille’s goalkeeper, Lucas Chevalier, blocked Ousmane Dembelé’s initial shot. PSG maintained its early intensity, and despite Chevalier’s best efforts, he couldn’t prevent Marquinhos from scoring PSG’s second goal with a header in the 22nd minute.
Dembelé extended PSG’s lead with a goal in the 28th minute, marking his 18th of the season, and Desiré Doué made it 4-0 with a spectacular top left corner strike by the 37th minute. Lille struggled offensively in the first half, failing to register a single shot on goal.
In response, Lille made tactical changes during the break, introducing Icelandic midfielder Hakon Haraldsson and 18-year-old Ethan Mbappé, Kylian Mbappé’s younger brother. While these changes marginally reduced Chevalier’s workload, PSG fans continued to celebrate in the stands.
As the match progressed, Enrique opted for four simultaneous substitutions in the final 30 minutes, giving players like Achraf Hakimi and Dembelé a rest while reintegrating Warren Zaire-Emery back from a left ankle injury and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia into the game.
Jonathan David managed to score a late consolation goal for Lille in the 80th minute, following a rebound from Gianluigi Donnarumma’s save of Mbappé’s attempt. This win marked PSG’s 10th consecutive victory across all competitions, extending their lead over Marseille by 16 points as they head into Sunday’s matchup against Nantes.
Elsewhere in the league on Saturday, Nice secured a 3-1 win at Saint-Etienne, reinforcing their third place in the standings. In a thrilling game, relegation-battling Le Havre edged out Lens with a dramatic 4-3 victory, with Egyptian forward Kouka converting a stoppage-time penalty to clinch their first lead of the match.
