Daily Times

PARIS: Paris St Germain continued their march towards the Ligue 1 title when they came from a goal down to beat Racing Strasbourg 5-2 at home and extend their lead at the top to 12 points on Saturday. Strasbourg, one of only two teams to defeat PSG in the league this season, opened the scoring through Jean-Eudes Aholou. The capital side levelled, however, through Julian Draxler before goals from Neymar and Angel Di Maria gave them a comfortable lead. The visitors had briefly threatened a comeback when Stephane Bahoken reduced the arrears but PSG, who now have 68 points from 26 games, killed off the match with an Edinson Cavani double. Second-placed Monaco are on 56 points after thrashing Dijon 4-0 at home on Friday. Strasbourg went ahead on six minutes at the end of a sharp counter attack, after Neymar lost the ball in the visitors’ half, only for Draxler to equalise four minutes later with a left-footed effort as PSG piled on the pressure. Neymar dribbled through the defence in the 22nd minute before beating Alexandre Oukidja from close range. PSG, who were beaten 3-1 at Real Madrid in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday, had it easier against Strasbourg and stretched their lead to 3-1 one minute later when Di Maria found the net from inside the box after dispossessing defender Pablo Martinez. Bahoken pulled one back in the 67th minute with a fine shot from just outside the box but Cavani quickly dashed Strasbourg’s hopes of a comeback. The Uruguay striker chipped the ball past Oukidja to restore PSG’s two-goal lead in the 73rd minute and added another six minutes later with a lob, his 23rd league goal of the season.

Published in Daily Times, February 19^th 2018.