Paris Saint-Germain secured their fifth straight French Ligue 1 title on Wednesday as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s strike set up a decisive 2-0 win away to nearest rivals Lens.
The Georgian netted his 19th goal of the season just before the half-hour mark and substitute Ibrahim Mbaye added a late second as PSG took an unassailable nine-point lead at the top with one match of the season remaining.
Luis Enrique’s team had all but clinched another league triumph last weekend when they beat Brest 1-0 to go six points clear of Lens with two games left while also boasting a far superior goal difference.
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That meant even a Lens victory here could not realistically have prevented the Parisians from extending their domestic dominance.
PSG have now won a record 14 French titles overall with 12 of them coming in the last 14 years, a period in which they have been transformed under Qatari ownership.
The league title adds to their trophy haul for the season, in which they had already won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and French Champions Trophy.
There might yet be more to come, as the defending European champions face Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 — they will become just the second team in the modern era to win back-to-back European Cups if they defeat the Gunners.
Lens, meanwhile, are now guaranteed to finish second, securing a spot in the league phase of next season’s Champions League as they prepare to return to that competition for the first time since 2023/24.
The northern side will also face Nice in the French Cup final on Friday, May 22.
This game could have taken on far greater significance had it been played on its scheduled date in April. But it was postponed to allow PSG to rest in between the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool.
That ultimately took the sting out of the occasion, and the visitors came into the contest without key players including Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, captain Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Warren Zaire-Emery in their starting line-up.
Despite the changes, PSG went ahead at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis when Ousmane Dembele intercepted a Malang Sarr clearance and this week’s winner of the Ligue 1 player of the year prize released Kvaratskhelia to control and score.
Abdallah Sima hit the post for Lens on 74 minutes and Florian Thauvin had a goal disallowed for offside late on, before Senegal international Mbaye made it 2-0 in stoppage time.
AFP
