PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday after defeating last-place Metz 3-0 at Parc des Princes.
Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos scored the goals as PSG capitalized on Monaco's earlier 3-2 win over previous leader Lens. The victory moves PSG two points clear of Lens with 11 rounds remaining.
Match Recap: PSG vs Metz
Doué opened the scoring after just two minutes, latching onto a long ball from Warren Zaïre-Emery that beat Metz' high defensive line.
Ramos then played the ball across goal for Barcola to head the second before halftime.
PSG played conservatively in the second half, failing to register a shot on target until Ramos completed the scoring in the 77th minute.
Title Race Context
Lens had moved to the top of the table the previous weekend with a 5-0 rout of promoted Paris FC, while PSG lost 3-1 at Rennes.
However, Lens' hopes of a prolonged stay at the summit ended Saturday. They squandered a comfortable two-goal lead and conceded three goals to Monaco after the hour-mark.
Odsonne Édouard scored early with a volley for Lens, and Florian Thauvin converted the rebound after Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn could only parry a deflected shot early in the second half.
United States forward Folarin Balogun scored against the run of play in the 62nd minute, Denis Zakaria equalized in the 70th, and Ansu Fati pounced on another defensive blunder to make it 3-2 two minutes later.
Champions League Implications
PSG seem more intent on conserving energy for Wednesday's second-leg Champions League playoff against Monaco in Paris.
The first leg saw Monaco come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in France. The winner will face either Barcelona or Chelsea in the round of 16.
Around Ligue 1
Argentine teenager Julián Vignolo scored late as a substitute to help mid-table Toulouse draw 1-1 with promoted Paris FC.