Where The Pressure Lands
PARIS — Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was held 2-2 at home by Lorient on Saturday, but Ligue 1 title rival Lens could not capitalize, drawing 1-1 at Nice later the same day.
A win for second-place Lens would have trimmed PSG's lead to four points ahead of their scheduled May 13 meeting. Instead, the gap stays at six points with three rounds left to play.
The title of the job changes quickly; the explanation usually takes a little longer to catch up.
Seventeen-year-old forward Ibrahim Mbaye put PSG ahead in the sixth minute when goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo fumbled a cross straight onto him. Lorient equalized six minutes later through Pablo Pagis, who finished a neat volley past 19-year-old backup goalkeeper Renato Marin. Warren Zaïre-Emery struck from roughly 20 meters in the 62nd minute to restore PSG's lead, and the game ended level after Benin striker Aiyegun Tosin capitalized on a giveaway in the 77th.
The Detail That Tilts It
The match came three days after PSG's wild 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal first leg. Coach Luis Enrique had rotated heavily, leaving goalkeeper Matvei Safonov, midfielder Vitinha and defender Nuno Mendes out of the starting XI. Star forward Ousmane Dembélé began on the bench alongside midfielders Joao Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery, who entered as a substitute and scored anyway.
Left winger Allan Saint-Maximin gave Lens the lead in the 61st minute against his former club, finishing cleanly from Adrien Thomasson's deep pass. Lens defender Saud Abdulhamid received a red card in the 81st, and Nice leveled moments later when defender Ali Abdi turned in Sofiane Diop's deflected free kick.
Marseille's difficult season deepened with a 3-0 loss at bottom-of-the-table Nantes, their fourth defeat in six matches. The loss dropped Marseille to seventh,endangering Champions League qualification where only the top three clubs advance directly.
What The Result Leaves
Monaco won 2-1 at last-place Metz, climbing past Marseille into sixth. Former France international Paul Pogba started for Monaco in midfield—his first league appearance since departing Juventus in 2023—and played just over an hour. American forward Folarin Balogun and former Barcelona prodigy Ansu Fati supplied Monaco's goals.