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FOOTBALL

Champions PSG hit the top at a canter

Paris Saint-Germain went top of the French league table on Friday night with a comfortable 2-0 away win at Bordeaux.

Champions PSG hit the top at a canter
Photo: Nicolas Tucat/AFP

The champions are assured of occupying top spot for at least a further 24 hours, with Marseille visiting bottom club Toulouse on Saturday night.

But the biggest threat to the defence of their crown comes from fellow-big spenders Monaco, who entertain Lorient on Sunday and should logically leapfrog the Parisians.

PSG, who have an important midweek date with Greek side Olympiacos in the Champions League coming up, were always in control of the game and their fluid football meant the result was never in doubt.

But they still had to wait until half-an-hour in to breach the Bordeaux defence for the first time, when Blaise Matuidi collected a deft through ball from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to beat Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso.

Yet it was all but over in the 64th minute when the impressive Lucas doubled the score with his first goal for the club, beating the offisde trap to a through ball from Verratti and leaving Carrasso stranded waiting for the cutback for the lurking Ibrahimovic.

"I needed that goal, not only to prove to the others what I'm capable of but also for myself," Lucas said.

The hapless Carrasso conceded that Bordeaux were always second best on the night.

"We ran into a serious Paris side, who gave themselves the ideal preparation for their first Champions League game. We tried to play at our best, but we were up against some great players and the second half they were much better than we were."

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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