PSG reclaims Ligue 1 lead, widening the gap. Marseille and Lens push hard, but a distinct top trio emerges.
Matchday 13 in Ligue 1 allowed PSG to secure a third consecutive victory and maintain its lead over Olympique de Marseille and Lens, who also won this weekend and are keeping pace with the defending champion. Behind them, a small gap is beginning to form.
Before facing Tottenham on Wednesday night in the Champions League, PSG took care of business on Saturday night with a 3-0 win over Le Havre, reclaiming its lead that had been lost just a few hours earlier. On Friday night, OM had kicked off the Matchday 13 action with a 5-1 away win at Nice and had temporarily taken the top spot in the league.
On Saturday afternoon, Lens had beaten Strasbourg 1-0 and had also moved ahead of PSG. But the 3-0 win by Luis Enrique's men against Le Havre on Saturday night allowed PSG to retake control and hold a two-point lead over Marseille and Lens.
This top trio created a small cushion over their pursuers this weekend. Strasbourg, previously in fourth place, lost to Lens and fell one place after Matchday 13. Where PSG had a 5-point lead over the fourth-place Alsatian team after Matchday 12, it now has a 7-point lead over the new fourth-place team, Lille, which won 4-2 against Paris FC on Sunday evening, thanks to a brace from Olivier Giroud.
Despite the much-anticipated debut of Paul Pogba, who came on late in the match, Monaco fell at Rennes on Saturday (4-1 defeat) and dropped to eighth place. For its part, OL was held to a draw at Auxerre on Sunday (0-0) and is in seventh place with 21 points, nine less than PSG. Habib Beye's Rennes also now has 21 points, buoyed by its three consecutive wins.
L1 Standings after Matchday 13:
- PSG: 30 points (+16 GD)
- Marseille: 28 points (+21 GD)
- Lens: 28 points (+11 GD)
- Lille: 23 points (+10 GD)
- Strasbourg: 22 points (+7 GD)
- Rennes: 21 points (+5 GD)
- Lyon: 21 points (+3 GD)
- Monaco: 20 points (0 GD)
Matchday 14 will feature a showdown between Monaco and PSG at Stade Louis II this Saturday, November 29, while OM will host Toulouse on Saturday. And Lens will travel to Angers on Sunday.