An early goal from Kylian Mbappé steered Paris Saint-Germain to a comfortable 2-0 win over classic rival Olympique de Marseille in the French league on Sunday.
The duel did not repeat the heated process of the last time they were measured, in Paris last September, when Marseille won 1-0 and five players were sent off.
Mbappé scored when barely eight minutes had elapsed, defining masterfully after starting from the center circle. Argentine Mauro Icardi punched the ball over goalkeeper Steve Mandanda to sign the second at 23.
Although Marseille improved in the second half, the team missed Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik due to a muscle ailment.
Marseille finished with 10 men for the expulsion of their hitch Dimitri Payet in the last minute for a sharp tackle on the steering wheel Marco Verratti.
Not all were good news for the team of Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Argentine winger Angel Di María limped off due to a discomfort in his right thigh. Barcelona will host PSG in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, scheduled for February 16.
The victory left PSG in third place, one point behind Lyon and three behind leader Lille, after 24 of 38 dates.
Early in the morning, Canadian forward Jonathan David signed a double for Lille to defeat Nantes 2-0 and continue as the lone leader.
For his part, midfielder Aleksandr Golovin scored a hat-trick and assisted in another goal in Monaco’s 4-3 triumph over Nimes, marking his seventh consecutive league win.
David’s second touchdown came with a shot from the edge of the box after a perfect play by Timothy Weah and Renato Sanches.
David opened the scoring after eight minutes of play against a lackluster Nantes, who is in 18th place and has failed to win in the six games he has played since former French coach Raymond Domenech took over as manager.
OTHER RESULTS
Defender Vitorino Hilton played his 500th game in the French first division. The 43-year-old Brazilian participated in Montpellier’s 4-2 win over Dijon in the relegation zone.
Hwang Ui-jo continued his good form with a score in the second half, but it was not enough and Bordeaux lost 2-1 on the road to Brest.
También: Niza 3, Angers 0; Saint-Etienne 1, Metz 0.
On Saturday, Lyon dispatched Strasbourg with two goals from Memphis Depay.
