Runaway league leader PSG beats Dijon 4-0; Di María goes off

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This article was published 29/02/2020 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS – Kylian Mbappé scored two goals and created another as Paris Saint-Germain kept its 13-point lead of the French league with a 4-0 win over struggling Dijon on Saturday but Ángel Di María limped off with what looked like a leg muscle injury.

It was not immediately known whether the Argentina winger, who went off after 18 minutes seemingly with a tight hamstring, will be sidelined. He has been one of PSG’s best players this season.

PSG faces Borussia Dortmund on March 11 in the last 16 of the Champions League, having lost the first leg 2-1. PSG is without injured centre half Thiago Silva and midfielder Ander Herrera for that game, with midfielder Marco Verratti and right back Thomas Meunier suspended.

Neymar, sent off last weekend, was suspended against Dijon. He watched as winger Pablo Sarabia put PSG ahead in the third minute, stretching to toe the ball in from Marquinhos’ skewed shot.

Edinson Cavani missed an open goal for the second straight match in an otherwise dull first half against a Dijon side in 17th spot, and which has never scored at Parc des Princes.

Cavani has a club record 200 goals for PSG, but he missed another straightforward chance after the break and then over-hit a pass to Mbappé, who was unmarked. Cavani was then replaced by Icardi.

Julian Draxler set up Mbappé for a composed finish in the 74th for 2-0. Moments later, Mbappé turned provider when he span swiftly away from his marker and slipped the ball to Icardi for a neat finish.

Mbappé, last season’s top scorer, grabbed his league-leading 18th from close range after Dijon failed to clear a corner. He is one goal clear of Wissam Ben Yedder, who scored for Monaco in a 1-1 home draw with Reims.

PSG travels to Lyon in the French Cup semifinals, and then has a league game at tough-tackling Strasbourg next weekend before facing Dortmund.

OTHER RESULTS

Third-place Rennes won 2-0 at last-place Toulouse.

Other results Saturday were: Amiens 0, Metz 1; Brest 0, Angers 1; and Montpellier 3, Strasbourg 0.

Second-place Marseille won 3-2 at Nimes on Friday with striker Dario Benedetto netting a hat trick.

SUNDAY’S MATCHES

Separated by an hour’s drive. bitter local rivals Lyon and Saint-Étienne are set to play their 108th Rhône derby since it began in 1951.

Saint-Étienne has a chance to beat Lyon twice for the first time since the 1981-82 campaign, when France great Michel Platini played his last season in the famed green shirt.

After scoring 82 goals for “Les Verts” he then netted 104 for Juventus, the 35-time Italian champion beaten 1-0 by Lyon on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

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Saint-Étienne is struggling and Claude Puel’s side is hovering just above the relegation zone.

Puel has reportedly clashed with long-serving goalkeeper Stéphane Ruffier, who has nearly 400 games for the club but is again left out of the squad.

In Sunday’s other matches, Nantes hosts fourth-place Lille, and Bordeaux faces Nice.

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