PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday after capitalizing on Monaco's stunning comeback win overLens.
PSG Maintains Title Push with Comfortable Victory
Goals from Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos secured PSG a 3-0 victory over last-place Metz, moving the champions two points clear of Lens at the summit with 11 rounds remaining.
Douéd opened the scoring after just two minutes, finishing a long ball from Warren Zaïre-Emery behind Metz' high defensive line. Barcola doubled the lead just before halftime, tapping in Ramos' cross.
Ramos completed the scoring in the 77th minute as PSG managed the game to conserve energy for Wednesday's crucial Champions League playoff second leg against Monaco.
Monaco Stuns Lens in Dramatic Fashion
In the early match, Monaco overturned a 2-0 deficit to beat Lens 3-2 in a remarkable turnaround at Stade Louis II.
Odsonné Édouard gave Lens the lead with a volley, before Florian Thauvin converted the rebound after Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn parried a deflected shot early in the second half.
However, the home side collapsed thereafter. United States forward Folarin Balogun pulled one back in the 62nd minute, Denis Zakaria equalized in the 70th, and Ansu Fati struck two minutes later to complete the comeback.
The result dealt a bitter blow to Lens, who had moved top the previous weekend with a 5-0 rout of promoted Paris FC.
Championship Race Context
PSG now hold a two-point advantage over Lens with 11 matches to play, reclaiming the position they lost after a 3-1 defeat at Rennes last weekend.
The two-goal collapse continues a troubling trend for Lens, who let slip a comfortable lead to give Monaco hope ahead of their Champions League showdown with PSG.
The winner of PSG's knockout tie with Monaco will face either Barcelona or Chelsea in the Round of 16.
Around the League
Argentine teenager Julián Vignolo scored late as a substitute to earn mid-table Toulouse a 1-1 draw against promoted Paris FC.