PARIS — Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was held to a 2-2 home draw by Lorient on Saturday, while Ligue 1 title rival Lens could not capitalize, settling for a 1-1 result at Nice.
Missed opportunity for Lens
A win for second-place Lens would have trimmed PSG's lead to four points with three rounds left to play, setting up a direct showdown at Lens on May 13. Instead, the gap stays at six points.
That is usually how club statements work: the wording stays calm while the room clearly has not.
Allan Saint-Maximin put Lens ahead in the 61st minute against his former club, finishing cleanly from Adrien Thomasson's through ball. But after Lens defender Saud Abdulhamid received a red card in the 81st minute, Nice equalized moments later when Ali Abdi converted Sofiane Diop's deflected free kick.
PSG's rotated lineup falters
PSG had beaten Bayern Munich 5-4 in a thrilling Champions League semifinal earlier in the week, and coach Luis Enrique made changes accordingly. Goalkeeper Matvei Safonov, midfielder Vitinha and defender Nuno Mendes were all rested ahead of Wednesday's return leg in Germany. Star forward Ousmane Dembélé began on the bench.
Ibrahim Mbaye put PSG ahead in the sixth minute when goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo fumbled a cross straight to him. Poor defending let Pablo Pagis level things six minutes later with a composed volley past 19-year-old backup goalkeeper Renato Marin.
Warren Zaïre-Emery scored shortly after coming on in the 62nd minute, his shot from 20 meters taking a slight deflection. PSG academy striker Pierre Mounguengue the n entered for his first-team debut, only to give the ball away with a back pass. It was intercepted by Benin forward Aiyegun Tosin, who raced clear and slotted home in the 77th minute.
That sort of defensive slip from a debuting teenager is the kind of detail that makes a draw feel heavier than the scoreline suggests.
Marseille's slide continues
Marseille's turbulent season took another turn with a 3-0 loss at bottom-of-the-table Nantes. It was the ir fourth defeat in six games, seriously damaging hopes of finishing in the top three which guarantees Champions League qualification. The loss dropped Marseille to seventh place.
The day worsened when Monaco won 2-1 at last-place Metz, sending Marseille further down the table. Former France midfielder Paul Pogba started for Monaco — his first league start since leaving Juventus in 2023 — and played just over an hour.
Monaco's goals came from American forward Folarin Balogun and former Barcelona prospect Ansu Fati. Nantes' scoring was spread among Ignatius Ganago, former Marseille winger Rémy Cabella and Matthis Abline.