Unbeaten PSG seal Ligue 1 title

Published April 7, 2025
PARIS: Paris-St Germain’s Desire Doue scores during the Ligue 1 match against Angers at the Parc des Princes Stadium.—Reuters
PARIS: Paris-St Germain’s Desire Doue scores during the Ligue 1 match against Angers at the Parc des Princes Stadium.—Reuters

PARIS: Paris St-Germain remai­ned unbeaten as they won their fourth straight Ligue 1 title in style on home turf after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Angers gave Luis Enrique’s side an unassailable lead in the French top-flight.

The victory, courtesy of a Desire Doue goal, moved PSG to 74 points with six rounds left. PSG are 24 points ahead of second-placed AS Monaco — who earlier lost 2-1 against Brest — with only seven matches left.

The title is PSG’s 13th in history — a record in France — while it was their 11th since the 2012-13 season.

PSG captain Marquinhos, who joined the club in 2013, became the only player in history to win 10 Ligue 1 titles.

“It’s crazy, I’m really happy. Staying with a top team for so long is a real challenge. The titles will go down in history. Our ambition is to win everything,” the 30-year-old Brazilian told beIN Sports.

“It hurts when you don’t win the French championship, it’s happened to me twice. The team deserves to win.

“It’s in our DNA to give everything on the pitch, to have an aggressive philosophy, to get our shirts wet at every match, no matter who our opponents are.”

Although the first half was goalless, PSG utterly dominated possession and took 11 shots, with Goncalo Ramos taking nearly half of those, but the home side could not find the net.

But 10 minutes into the second half, PSG took the lead when January recruit Khvicha Kvarats­khelia floated a cross into the six-yard box and 19-year-old winger Doue connected with a volley at the far post for his fifth league goal of the season.

Luis Enrique then made a triple change, with this season’s top scorer Ousmane Dembele coming on, not only looking to increase his tally of 21 goals but also to get some minutes before their Champions League quarter-final against Aston Villa.

PSG could not double their advantage as the Angers defence stood strong, but that did not stop the home fans from chanting “We are the champions” even before the fulltime whistle had blown.

Luis Enrique has lost only two league games since taking over PSG at the start of the 2023-24 season, as the Spanish coach proved the team could succeed without big names such as Kylian Mbappe, who left for Real Madrid last year.

After the fulltime whistle, Luis Enrique was seen sharing a moment with Luis Campos, the man who helped him rebuild the squad, before players and staff grabbed the coach and threw him into the air during the celebrations.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Brest scored in injury time to beat Monaco while Olympique Lyon­nais came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 in other key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Lyon climbed to fourth on the table with 48 points, while Lille remained sixth with 47.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

The heat ahead
31 May, 2026

The heat ahead

HEAT is becoming a defining feature of life in many parts of the world. It influences how cities are built, how much...
Dimming hopes
31 May, 2026

Dimming hopes

THE National Assembly opposition leader’s recent warning should give the ruling parties some pause. Once again, ...
No Tobacco Day
31 May, 2026

No Tobacco Day

THIS year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, announced by the WHO last October, is ‘Unmasking the appeal —...
Diplomatic resolve
Updated 30 May, 2026

Diplomatic resolve

Iran, too, must engage seriously and provide credible assurances about its nuclear programme if it wants sanctions relief and a more stable relationship with the outside world.
Weaponising water
30 May, 2026

Weaponising water

CLIMATE Minister Musadik Malik’s warning against what he described as “water aggression” indicates ...
Rabies toll
30 May, 2026

Rabies toll

EVERY year, rabies, the deadliest zoonotic disease, kills more than 59,000 people worldwide. In Pakistan, it is one...