Paris: Edinson Cavani scored twice as unbeaten Paris Saint-Germain overcame a slow start to beat Nantes 4-1 and move six points clear at the top of the French league on Saturday.
With Neymar having a quiet game, and missing a late chance, it was left to Cavani and playmaker Javier Pastore to shatter one of the league’s best defences.
Angel Di Maria and Pastore added the other goals for a free-scoring PSG team that has 43 goals in just 13 games. Cavani has a league-leading 15 goals. With 19 in 17 overall, he is on course to beat his career-best 49 last season.
“We have been very good, it’s important to keep the same level at every game, with a quality game,” PSG coach Unai Emery said. “We have a big game in Monaco, it’s a difficult team but we are already slightly ahead and we want to play there with confidence.”
Nantes came into the match with the third best defence in Ligue 1, having let in only nine goals in 12 games.
A defence well-marshalled by center back Diego Carlos contained PSG’s attacks well and neutralised the threat of Neymar in a confident opening 30-minute spell. But then Nantes started giving the ball away carelessly.
After losing possession on the halfway line, Nantes was punished in the 38th minute.
Neymar picked up the loose ball and found Pastore, who slipped a pass to Cavani down the left. The striker cut inside Carlos with his first touch and drilled the ball powerfully inside the near post with his next.
PSG’s second came four minutes later and had a touch of fortune about it, as Di Maria’s swinging cross from the left eluded everyone and bounced inside the right post.
In Rome, Serie A leaders Napoli were on the right end of two borderline offside decisions, the first awarded with the help of the video replay system (VAR), as they beat AC Milan 2-1 on Saturday to send their rivals back into crisis mode.
In the earlier game, AS Roma beat arch-rivals Lazio by the same score to win the first derby since the retirement of their talismanic playmaker Francesco Totti.
Totti, who retired last season after 25 years with Roma, which included a record 44 derby appearances, watched from the stands.
It was a nightmare match for Lazio defender Bastos who gave away the penalty for Roma’s first goal and lost possession at the start of the move, which led to Radja Nainggolan striking the winner.
Napoli’s win left them with 35 points from 13 games, four ahead of title-holders Juventus who are away on Sunday to a Sampdoria side who boast a 100 per cent home record.
Roma moved above Lazio to third with 30 points from 12 games, ahead of Inter Milan on goal difference and two points clear of their neighbours.
Lorenzo Insigne, overlooked by Italy for the second leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff against Sweden on Monday when a goalless draw meant they failed to qualify, opened the scoring with the help of VAR in the 33rd minute.
Insigne collected Jorginho’s long pass forward, left the Milan defence standing and clipped the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma only to see his goal chalked off for offside.
