NANTES: Kylian Mbappe and Lucas Hernandez scored second-half goals to earn leaders Paris St-Germain a 1-0 win at Nantes and extend their unbeaten Ligue 1 run to 17 matches on Saturday.

Luis Enrique’s side moved on to 53 points, 14 clear of second-placed OGC Nice who lost 1-0 at Olympique Lyonnais on Friday.

“It was a tough first half but the attitude of the players was excellent,” the Spaniard told reporters. “In the second half we were better with more attacking presence in the box, it was difficult but we were fortunate to score the first goal.”

Hernandez opened the scoring with PSG’s first shot on target in the 60th minute with a long-range strike that Nantes’ Moussa Sissoko deflected into the top corner past his goalkeeper.

Substitute Mbappe doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 78th minute, the France striker’s 21st league goal of the campaign confirming his position as Ligue 1’s top scorer this season.

“The league is not settled, it is true that we lack an opponent that challenge us but it is the result of our performance,” Luis Enrique added. “Until it is mathematically certain we can’t say anything, there are still a lot of games left.”

Elsewhere, Jonathan David bagged a hat-trick as Lille swept Le Havre aside 3-0 to move into third place, one point behind Nice.

After a slow start to the campaign, the Canada international now has 11 goals — striking nine times in his past 10 games.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2024