Paris-Saint Germain have won a record-extending 12th Ligue 1 title after Monaco were defeated 3-2 by Lyon.
Luis Enrique’s side looked like they had to wait to clinch the title after they drew 3-3 against Le Havre at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.
The result left PSG 12 points clear of Monaco, who needed to win against Lyon on Sunday to have any hope of remaining in the title race. However, goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Said Benrahma and Malick Fofana ensured the trophy would return to the French capital.
Against Le Havre, Christopher Operi scored first, but Bradley Barcola equalised for PSG. Andre Ayew then put the away team ahead again before half-time, and Abdoulaye Toure extended their lead with a penalty just after the hour mark. Achraf Hakimi, however, narrowed the gap in the 78th minute, and Goncalo Ramos scored an equaliser in stoppage time.
Unbeaten in Ligue 1 since September, PSG will finish top of the table for the 10th time in the past 12 seasons.
The league win is their first under head coach Enrique, who previously won back-to-back La Liga titles while manager of Barcelona.
PSG extended their record for the most league titles in the history of French football
With Champions League and French Cup honours still left to play for, PSG remain in the hunt for the treble — a feat Enrique managed in his first season at Barcelona.
Kylian Mbappe’s sixth league winners’ medal will most likely be his last as a PSG player, with the striker set to depart in the summer after seven years at the club — including one while on loan from Monaco.
Mbappe’s contract expires at the end of the season, although the France international is yet to announce his next club.
PSG play Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the Champions League — a competition they have never won — next month.
They play Lyon in the French Cup final on May 25.
GO DEEPER
How Paris Saint-Germain made Ousmane Dembele ‘extraordinary’ again
PSG in rarefied air
Analysis by Peter Rutzler
PSG now have daylight at the summit of French football. Their 12th title moves them two clear of Saint-Etienne and fierce rivals Marseille (10 titles apiece). They are to the surprise of no-one, the dominant force in France.
Last year’s success was a record-breaker but this one might be savoured more in Paris. The finale of the 2022-23 season was overshadowed by discontent on and off the pitch.
Lionel Messi’s suspension, a dismal failure in the Champions League, fan protests and question marks over coach Christophe Galtier contributed to a toxic atmosphere, one that would see the players whistled as they received their winners medals. It was an extraordinary sight.
Twelve months on, and the picture is different now. Some big names have gone and a younger squad has been (expensively) assembled, playing with a distinctly recognisable style and a collective ethos, under a coach, in Luis Enrique, who is respected.
Together, that combination has won over the supporters who have a better bond with the team.
Ligue 1 though is of course an expected triumph. Success is a requirement when your budget is so much greater than everyone else.
Mbappe is set to leave PSG at the end of the season
Praise for this procession should be guarded but it is worth noting that this season was supposed to be a year of transition, where errors would be more forgiven. Even so, PSG put together the second longest unbeaten run in their history during this campaign, reaching 26 matches in all competitions.
Crucially, they are still fighting on two other fronts.
This year, the league title is just the opening gambit. No club has won the treble before in France, with Marseille the only side to have won the Champions League. For all their big money spending since the takeover by Qatar Sports Investment, the season they decided to move away from the galacticos might just be the one that takes the club into uncharted territory.
With a Coupe de France final and a Champions League semi-final to come, history for now remains on the table.
(Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
