French leader PSG draws at home with Kylian Mbappé on the bench. Marseille wins again
French leader PSG draws at home with Kylian Mbappé on the bench. Marseille wins again
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe sits on the substitutes bench during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe takes his seat on the substitutes bench ahead of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe warms up, during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, right, and Reims’ Amir Richardson fight for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Players from Marseille celebrate their victory at the end of the match during the Europa League, round of 16 first-leg soccer match between Marseille and Villarreal, at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe sits on the substitutes bench during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe sits on the substitutes bench during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe takes his seat on the substitutes bench ahead of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe takes his seat on the substitutes bench ahead of the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe warms up, during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe warms up, during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, right, and Reims’ Amir Richardson fight for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, right, and Reims’ Amir Richardson fight for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Players from Marseille celebrate their victory at the end of the match during the Europa League, round of 16 first-leg soccer match between Marseille and Villarreal, at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Players from Marseille celebrate their victory at the end of the match during the Europa League, round of 16 first-leg soccer match between Marseille and Villarreal, at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
PARIS (AP) — French league leader Paris Saint-Germain drew 2-2 at home to Reims on Sunday as Kylian Mbappé was left on the bench for the second straight league game.
It was defending champion PSG’s third straight league draw and the attack looked tame without him. Mbappe came on in the 73rd minute with the score at 2-2, but could not add to his league-leading 21 goals.
He curled a shot just wide soon after, missed the ball attempting a bicycle kick and looked frustrated after shooting straight at the goalkeeper from 20 meters out. PSG is 10 points clear of second-place Brest with nine games remaining.
Mbappé scored both goals on Tuesday as PSG beat Real Sociedad 2-1 to reach the Champions League quarterfinals. But coach Luis Enrique is rotating his players to prepare for next season without Mbappé, who is leaving this summer.
Enrique said he is not taking it easy because of PSG’s lead.
“The earlier we win the league, the better,” the Spaniard said. “We must win games.”
Reims took the lead after seven minutes following a defensive blunder from right back Achraf Hakimi, who lost the ball in the penalty area allowing midfielder Marshall Munetsi to score.
“We started well and then we gave them a gift,” Enrique said. “There are still things we need to improve.”
PSG equalized 10 minutes later when Reims captain Yunis Abdelhamid tried to defend a corner and deflected the ball into his own net. Last week, Abdelhamid’s careless back pass allowed Lille striker Jonathan David to score.
Gonçalo Ramos started in attack and put PSG 2-1 up in the 19th minute after Reims failed to clear a cross and the ball fell kindly to him. The visitors pulled level just before the break when Emmanuel Agbadou’s pass found striker Oumar Diakité, whose shot beat goalkeeper Keylor Navas and went in off the post.
MARSEILLE MARCHES ON
Five games. Five wins. Lots of backflips.
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored both goals as resurgent Marseille beat Nantes 2-0 at Stade Velodrome to move up to seventh place.
Coach Jean-Louis Gasset has transformed Marseille and won all five matches since taking charge last month, with his side netting an impressive 18 goals overall in that spell.
Aubameyang, who celebrates goals with a trademark backflip, is taking full advantage. The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward has struck eight times under Gasset.
Aubameyang met winger Ismaïla Sarr’s cross from the right to put Marseille ahead in the 17th and Sarr was involved again when Aubameyang grabbed his second of the night in the 79th, beating goalkeeper Alban Lafont at the second attempt.
He is comfortably Marseille’s top scorer with 23 goals, including 11 in the league, and is hitting top form before the arrival of bitter rival PSG on March 31.
OTHER MATCHES
Third-place Monaco moved one point behind Brest after midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir came off the bench to score a 72nd-minute winner in a 1-0 victory at Strasbourg.
Canada striker Jonathan David scored two late goals as Lille moved up to fourth place on goal difference from Lens after rallying to draw 2-2 at home to eighth-place Rennes.
The visitors scored in the first minute through midfielder Ludovic Blas before striker Arnaud Kalimuendo made it 2-0 in the 20th. David pulled one back in the 84th and then equalized from close range in stoppage time with his 14th goal of the campaign, putting him second behind Mbappé.
Excluding penalty kicks, Mbappé leads the 24-year-old David only 15-13 in goals from open play.
Le Havre won 1-0 at home to Toulouse and struggling Metz beat last-place Clermont 1-0 thanks to Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze’s first-half penalty.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer