Paris Saint-Germain sealed a record 11th French league title with a 5-0 home win over Ajaccio on Saturday, while Lionel Messi was met with mixed reactions upon his return from suspension.
On 22 minutes, Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes, and Achraf Hakimi added a second before Kylian Mbappe scored twice just after halftime.
PSG’s fifth goal came through an own goal by Mohamed Youssouf, while Hakimi and Ajaccio player Thomas Mangani were both sent off after a late brawl.
After regaining a six-point lead over Lens, PSG needs four points from their next three games against Auxerre, Strasbourg, and Clermont to seal the Ligue 1 title.
“The players were very determined to put in a proper display. They want to be champions and they realise that Lens aren’t giving up and a misstep could raise the pressure,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier.
When Messi’s name was read out before kickoff, it drew a mixture of whistles and clapping after he was banned by the club for last weekend’s encounter due to an unapproved vacation to Saudi Arabia.
The Argentine’s early touches brought jeers once more in what was likely his final appearance in Paris before a reported departure to Saudi Arabia for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“So there are whistles but very quickly a large part of the stadium made sure to drown them out to support Leo,” said Galtier.
“He stayed focused with the desire to liven up the game and create chances. He’s used to it because he’s been in difficult situations in his career.”
Three defeats in their past four home games for PSG had allowed Lens to stay in an unlikely title race, but Ajaccio offered little resistance as their relegation to Ligue 2 was confirmed.
