PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain stayed on course to complete the Ligue 1 season without losing a game as the Champions League semifinalists beat struggling Le Havre 2-1 on Saturday.
Desire Doue and Goncalo Ramos scored the goals for PSG either side of half-time at the Parc des Princes, as coach Luis Enrique changed almost his entire starting line-up following the midweek European clash with Aston Villa.
PSG had already secured a fourth successive Ligue 1 title before this game, and their 10th consecutive league win leaves them on 77 points with five matches remaining.
No side has ever completed an entire French top-flight campaign unbeaten.
“We knew this game was a potential banana skin for us after a Champions League match which sucked out all our energy and left us feeling tired,” Luis Enrique said.
“All the ingredients were there for this to be a difficult game against a side who were in need of points.”
Achraf Hakimi and Bradley Barcola were the only players to keep their place in the PSG line-up at kick-off, following the 3-2 defeat away to Aston Villa which saw them edge through to the last four of the Champions League and a tie against Arsenal.
Doue gave PSG the lead inside eight minutes, and Ramos made the most of his chance in the starting line-up by making it 2-0 shortly after half-time with his 15th goal this season.
Issa Soumare pulled one back for Le Havre, but the result leaves the Normandy side still in third-bottom spot, the relegation play-off place.
If the title race in France is already over, the fight for European qualification behind PSG is intense, with the next six teams separated by only six points.
Second-placed Monaco drew 0-0 at home to Strasbourg, who are three points behind them in fifth, on a blustery evening in the principality.
Monaco were looking for a seventh successive home win in Ligue 1, but leading scorer Mika Biereth had a goal disallowed for a tight offside call in first-half stoppage time.
They had most of the chances, but Strasbourg had the ball in the net late on too, only for Emanuel Emegha’s effort from close range to also be ruled out for offside.
Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg are now unbeaten in 10 games and remain hopeful of qualifying for the Champions League — a level the Alsace outfit have not played at since the 1979/80 European Cup.
“I have a group of players who believe they can do it, and I believe they can do it as well,” said Englishman Rosenior, whose side are undefeated since early February.
“Nobody said that this team would be able to do this at the start of the season.
“Ten games unbeaten, and the players are disappointed not to win against Nice (a 2-2 draw last week) and now Monaco, which shows how far we have come in a short space of time.”
Marseille have the chance to move back above Monaco into second with a win at home to doomed bottom side Montpellier later.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille are under pressure on a run of five defeats in their last seven matches, a sequence which has left them at risk of missing out on a return to the Champions League.
Lyon, in fourth, go to derby rivals Saint-Etienne on Sunday looking to bounce back from their agonizing Europa League loss to Manchester United on Thursday.
Lille and Nice, who are now sixth and seventh respectively, also play key games in the fight for Europe on Sunday.
The top three qualify automatically for the Champions League, with fourth going into the preliminary rounds.
Fifth place qualifies for the Europa League and sixth for the Conference League, although there will be an extra Europa League place available via the league should PSG beat Reims in the French Cup final next month.
PSG beat Le Havre to stay on course for unbeaten Ligue 1 season
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PSG beat Le Havre to stay on course for unbeaten Ligue 1 season
- Desire Doue and Goncalo Ramos scored the goals for PSG
- PSG had already secured a fourth successive Ligue 1 title before this game
San Antonio Spurs extend domination of NBA-best Thunder
- After roaring to a 24-1 start, the Thunder have dropped four of their past six games — three of those losses coming to the Spurs
- Houston’s Amen Thompson scored 26 points to lead the Rockets over the host Los Angeles Lakers 119-96
- At New York, Jalen Brunson scored 34 points to lead the host Knicks over Cleveland 126-124
NEW YORK: Reigning champion Oklahoma City have the NBA’s best record, but they cannot beat San Antonio, with superstar Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench Thursday to help lift the Spurs to an emphatic 117-102 victory.
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 29 points while Wembanyama had 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes and guard Stephon Castle added 19 points for the Spurs, who stretched their win streak to eight games.
“My first Christmas game,” Fox said. “It feels great getting another victory.”
After roaring to a 24-1 start, the Thunder have dropped four of their past six games — three of those losses coming to the Spurs.
“When you play a team of this caliber, the details are much more magnified,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “We did a phenomenal job as the game progressed adhering to those nuances.”
Wembanyama wouldn’t call it a statement win for the season but he says the Spurs have learned from beating the Thunder.
“I’m not really sure it’s smart to think so far into the future,” said Wembanyama.
“This is like a playoff series. We played them three times in 10 days so we learned a lot on the technical side.”
Oklahoma City lost for the first time in 15 home games this season despite 22 points by reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder sank their first seven shots to take an 18-12 lead but the Spurs closed the first quarter on an 11-0 run for a 41-36 edge and never looked back.
“The guys were working their butts off,” Johnson said.
The Spurs improved to 23-7, second in the Western Conference behind the Thunder at 26-5.
Fox made 12-of-19 shots from the floor, 3-of-4 from three-point range.
“He was carrying us a little bit,” Wembanyama said. “He’s a guy who can make things happen.”
The Spurs have not reached the playoffs since 2019 and have not won a playoff series since 2017.
In other games, Houston’s Amen Thompson scored 26 points to lead the Rockets over the host Los Angeles Lakers 119-96.
Kevin Durant added 25 points and Alperen Sengun had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Houston.
“We wanted to come out here and play with a sense of urgency for 48 minutes,” Durant said. “The basketball world is watching you tonight.”
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 25 points while four-time NBA MVP LeBron James added 18 points.
James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, played in his 20th NBA Christmas contest, his holiday record falling to 11-9.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves had 12 points in 15 minutes before leaving with left calf soreness.
Knicks outlast Cavs
At New York, Jalen Brunson scored 34 points to lead the host Knicks over Cleveland 126-124.
The Cavaliers, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 34 points, grabbed a 103-86 lead with 10:25 remaining but New York closed on a 40-21 run to seize the victory.
Benson, who hit 6-of-12 from three-point range, lifted the Knicks ahead for good at 121-119 on a three-pointer with 65 seconds remaining.
It was Benson’s 90th 30-point game as a Knick, a total eclipsed only by Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony.
Jordan Clarkson added 25 points off the New York bench.
At San Francisco, Stephen Curry scored 23 points despite shooting 6-of-18 overall and 2-of-10 from three-point range to lead Golden State over Dallas 126-116.
“Didn’t shoot it well but we got a great win,” Curry said. “Just focused on the details of what this team can do to win.”
Seven Warriors scored in double figures with Jimmy Butler contributing 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
The Mavericks’ 19-year-old forward Cooper Flagg, the second-youngest NBA Christmas starter after 18-year-old James in 2003, scored a game-high 27 points.
Dallas star Anthony Davis exited after playing only 11 minutes with what appeared to be a groin injury.
Dallas guard Klay Thompson scored seven points in a return to the Bay Area, where he helped Golden State capture four NBA titles.
