Agency :
Paris St Germain (PSG) extended their Ligue 1 lead to 15 points when they beat bottom side Girondins de Bordeaux 3-0 at home on Sunday, but their latest Champions League failure still loomed large at the Parc des Princes.
Kylian Mbappe, who was spared the boos of the fans, Neymar and Leandro Paredes found the back of the net to put PSG on 65 points from 28 games, four days after being knocked out of Europe’s premier club competition by Real Madrid at the last-16 stage.
The PSG players were met by a cold reception from the crowd, with Neymar heavily booed as he took a free kick after the team’s “ultra” fans had called for club president Nasser Al Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo to resign.
Olympique de Marseille leapfrogged Nice into second on goal difference after goals by Gerson, Arkadiusz Milik, Amine Harit and Cengiz Under earned them a 4-1 victory at Stade Brestois later on Sunday.
Stade Rennais are fourth, one point behind OM, after a brilliant first half gave them a 4-2 win at Olympique Lyonnais as former Lyon coach Bruno Genesio enjoyed a second success in two games against the club who sacked him in 2019.
All eyes, however, were on the Parc des Princes on a bitter afternoon.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has come under fire after Wednesday’s collapse, said he felt sad.
“Nobody likes this context, it made me sad. All those who love PSG, after the disappointment of Madrid, are sad. I feel sad for what I experienced today,” he said.
Asked if Neymar and Lionel Messi, who appeared to be targeted more by the crowd than other players, were affected, he replied: “We were all affected. We understand the disappointment and frustration. We’re all going through this together as a team. We have a responsibility to take responsibility for what happened.”
