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FRENCH FOOTBALL

PSG’s unbeaten run ends with 2-0 loss at Evian

PSG's nine month unbeaten run came to an abrupt end on Wednesday when they were beaten 2-0 away to minnows Evian. Paris Saint-Germain's lead at the top of Ligue 1 is now only one point. Catch up on all the action here.

PSG's unbeaten run ends with 2-0 loss at Evian
Players and staff of Evian celebrate their shock victory over leaders PSG on Wednesday. Photo: Jean-Pierre Clatot/AFP

Paris Saint-Germain failed to equal the record for their longest unbeaten run in France's top flight as they suffered a shock 2-0 defeat away to Evian on Wednesday.

Youngster Clarck Nsikulu put Evian in front at the end of a counterattack with 15 minutes remaining in freezing Annecy, and on-loan Marseille winger Modou Sougou made sure of the win for the home side when he added another in the 87th minute.

That goal came just seconds after Javier Pastore had missed a glorious chance to bring the defending champions level, and the result ends PSG's unbeaten record under Laurent Blanc.

Indeed, the capital club's sequence of Ligue 1 matches without defeat ends at 26, one short of the club record set in their title-winning 1993-94 campaign.

And their overall run without losing in all competitions ends at 36 matches, also one short of the club record.

However, that sequence does not include a defeat to Evian on penalties in the quarter-finals of the French Cup last season, and now the club from the shadow of the Alps can claim to be PSG's bogey side.

"This win is marvellous for all our fans, the whole region. I have to congratulate my players," said Evian coach Pascal Dupraz, who nevertheless admitted his frustration that his side were unable to produce such performances on a regular basis.

Blanc did not dwell long on the run coming to an end.

"We had our chances in the first-half and we can have regrets about the loss because we should have opened the scoring and that could have meant a different result," he said.

Blanc's side are now just a single point clear of Lille at the top of the table, with the northern side having beaten Marseille 1-0 on Tuesday, with Nolan Roux scoring a stoppage-time winner as Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama kept his 11th consecutive clean sheet.

Meanwhile, Monaco are just one point futher behind in third after they won 3-0 away to Nice in a Cote d'Azur derby on Tuesday, achieved without Radamel Falcao, as the Colombian missed a second successive game due to injury.

James Rodriguez, Emmanuel Riviere and Lucas Ocampos got the goals for Claudio Ranieri's men, as Nice fell to a sixth straight defeat.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, veteran goalkeeper Mickael Landreau broke the record for the most appearances by any player in France's top flight as he started for Bastia in their Corsican derby draw with Ajaccio.

French international Landreau played his 603rd Ligue 1 game, three days after equalling the previous record held by former Monaco 'keeper Jean-Luc Ettori, in a game played on neutral ground on the mainland at the Stade Parsemain, home of second-tier club Istres.

But Landreau, formerly of Nantes, PSG and Lille, was unable to help Bastia beat their island rivals as the game ended in a 1-1 draw, a late Eduardo strike for Ajaccio cancelling out Florian Raspentino's early opener.

"It is fabulous to experience this and to be able to share it," said Landreau after the match.

"The game was played behind closed doors, but I prepare for every match in the same manner.

"I can feel what this represents, and it is massive."    Saint-Etienne missed the chance to reclaim fifth spot as they went down 3-1 away to Rennes in Brittany, with Argentine striker Silvio Romero scoring his first two goals in French football for the hosts.

Bordeaux inflicted a first home defeat on Guingamp since the opening day of the season, winning 1-0 thanks to a solitary Julien Faubert strike, while Lorient increased the pressure on beleagured Montpellier coach Jean Fernandez with a 2-0 victory at the Stade de la Mosson.

Maxime Barthelme put Lorient ahead before Cameroon international forward Vincent Aboubakar scored his ninth goal of the season from the penalty spot at the death after the home side had been reduced to nine men by the dismissals of Vitorino Hilton and Abdelhamid El-Kaoutari.

However, Montpellier's plight is not as serious as that of Sochaux, who remain rooted to the bottom seven points from safety after losing 2-0 at home to Reims.

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PSG

Shock as PSG finally lose a game in Ligue 1

PSG's hopes of going the whole season unbeaten were dashed on Sunday when Lyon handed them a 2-1 defeat. But the French Champions still have an unassailable lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Shock as PSG finally lose a game in Ligue 1
Heads bowed as PSG finally lose. Photo: AFP

Lyon stunned Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 on Sunday to end the defending champions' hopes of becoming the first French team to
avoid defeat for a whole league season.

Young forward Maxwell Cornet stroked Bruno Genesio's men into a surprise early lead and Lyon deservedly made it two through Sergi Darder's wonderfully-taken goal on the stroke of half-time.

Lucas Moura pulled one back for the runaway league leaders, but Lyon held on for a famous victory that moves them into the top three.

For PSG this was a first league loss since a 3-2 defeat at Bordeaux in March 2015, although they remain 23 points clear of Monaco at the top of the table.

Manager Laurent Blanc admitted that his side were off the pace and did not deserve to take anything from the game.

“We were too average, myself included,” he told Canal+. “Lyon were in a better state of mind. Were we not at our best? I don't know, we must regroup.”

“We expected a difficult game, but not as hard. I took off a player at half-time (Benjamin Stambouli), I could have made more changes,” he admitted.

Lyon manager Genesio wants his team's display to help them kick on for the rest of the campaign.

“The game counts for three points, but of course beating PSG makes it more satisfying,” he said.

“What pleased me? The way we implented the plan, with the will to press them high. Certainly, we were up against one of the best teams in Europe, but we need to repeat this performance until the end of the season.”

PSG were looking to extend their record unbeaten league streak to 37 matches, but Lyon started the stronger at Parc OL and they forged ahead in the 13th minute.

Alexandre Lacazette picked out 19-year-old Cornet, who displayed good footwork to cut inside Gregory van der Wiel, before curling confidently into the far corner to grab his third Ligue 1 goal.

The visitors are not used to being behind and their frustration boiled over when Thiago Motta appeared to strike Jordan Ferri in the face, with the Italian fortunate to escape with just a yellow card.

On the day that Silva spoke of suffering a bout of depression in the aftermath of Brazil's World Cup thrashing at the hands of Germany two years ago, he was embarrassed by Darder in first half injury-time.

Despite Rafael's cross being slightly behind Darder, the Spanish midfielder flicked the ball over the head of centre-back Silva with his first touch, and coolly steered home past Kevin Trapp with his second.

Lucas goal not enough

With the unbeaten run close to coming to an end Blanc responded by sending on Javier Pastore for Benjamin Stambouli at the interval.

The substitute was instrumental in creating space in the Lyon penalty area as the away side pulled one back less than six minutes into the second period.

Pastore was crowded out by a group of home defenders, but the ball broke kindly for Brazilian Lucas, who bent his shot just inside the far post.

Lyon went straight up the other end and could have restored their two-goal cushion, only for Ferri to side-foot wide.

It was by far the busiest outing for Trapp since his move to Paris last summer and the German made an excellent point-blank save with his legs to keep out Rachid Ghezzal.

But last season's runners-up closed out a fourth win in five games with ease to move into the third and final Champions League place and become the first team to beat PSG domestically in almost a year.

Monaco were held to a goalless draw by in-form Nantes as Caen reignited their unlikely Champions League push with a 2-1 win at Saint-Etienne.

Monaco are eight points clear in second but the six teams directly below are separated by just two points in the race for third place.

Meanwhile, Marseille's match away to Gazelec Ajaccio was postponed due to the inclement weather in Corsica.

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