Paris: Paris Saint-Germain further strengthened their dominance of Ligue 1 with a 2-1 win at Nantes that moved the champions 15 points clear of the domestic rivals.
Goals in either half from Mauro Icardi and Thilo Kehrer were just about enough for Thomas Tuchel’s side to stretch their lead over second-placed Marseille ahead of their trip to Saint-Etienne on Wednesday.
PSG extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 20 matches despite a Presnel Kimpembe howler allowing Moses Simon to race through and pull one back in the 68th minute, setting up a nervy finish.
The capital club were dominant for long periods despite the absence of Neymar with a rib complaint, and it was Kylian Mbappe, starting following his touchline spat with Tuchel at the weekend, who created the opener. World Cup winner Mbappe burst down the left flank before pulling back perfectly for Angel Di Maria, whose shot brushed fellow Argentine Icardi before nestling in the back of the net.
The three points looked to be sealed 11 minutes after the break when Kehrer headed home Di Maria’s corner. However, Kimpembe let Nantes back into the game 11 minutes later when his fluffed attempt at a flicked pass to centre-back partner Kehrer gave Simon his chance. (AFP)