Injury-hit PSG beats Auxerre to move three points clear at the top after Monaco loses
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PARIS (AP) — Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain beat Auxerre 2-0 at home Saturday to move three points clear at the top of Ligue 1, but also saw its injury problems mount.
Midfielder Vitinha came off late in the first half after creating the first goal and Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was replaced at halftime with an apparent thigh-muscle injury. Champions League winner PSG is at Barcelona on Wednesday in the second round of league phase games.
PSG is already without injured captain Marquinhos in central defense, as well as Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, fellow forward Désiré Doué and midfielder João Neves.
Both PSG’s goals came from central defenders.
Illia Zabarnyi stretched to poke in Vitinha’s cross from the left in the 33rd minute. It was the Ukraine defender’s first goal since joining in the offseason from Premier League team Bournemouth.
Vitinha went off two minutes later.
Lucas Beraldo headed in Senny Mayulu’s cross to make it 2-0 in the 55th.
The win moved PSG onto 15 points from six games, with Marseille, Monaco, Lyon and Strasbourg all on 12 points and separated by goal difference.
Lyon can move level on points with PSG if it wins at Lille on Sunday.
Monaco stutters
Monaco earlier failed to pressure PSG as it slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Lorient.
It was the second defeat of the season for coach Adi Hütter. Monaco’s defense let it down once again, as it did many times last season, and Hütter is still searching for the right balance in his attack-minded side.
Monaco has conceded 10 goals from six games and was also routed 4-1 by Club Bruges in the Champions League.
Ansu Fati started on the bench for Monaco despite netting three goals from two substitute appearances.
Monaco captain Thilo Kehrer was sent off in the 38th minute after collecting a second yellow card and Lorient scored moments later, with striker Mohamed Bamba turning in a cross from the left.
Fati come on midway through the second half but saw Lorient striker Pablo Pagis — whose father Mickaël Pagis played up front for Strasbourg, Marseille and Rennes — scoring two goals.
Fati scored with a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Lorient’s second win of the season moved it up to midtable.
In Saturday’s other game, Toulouse twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to lowly Nantes.
Swedish forward Mayckel Lahdo and midfielder Louis Leroux scored for Nantes, while Yann Gboho and Norwegian midfielder Aron Dönnum replied for Toulouse.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer