Sports

Motta sees red as PSG beat Angers to extend lead

Motta sees red as PSG beat Angers to extend lead

By REUTERS

Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe in action with Angers' Mateo Pavlovic (left) and Flavien Tait during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris St Germain and Angers, at Parc des Princes, in Paris, France, on March 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters

PARIS: Thiago Motta lost his temper but Kylian Mbappe’s double earned Paris St Germain a 2-1 home win over Angers on Wednesday as the capital side extended their Ligue 1 lead to 17 points. Midfielder Motta was shown a straight red card after 16 minutes for stepping on Romain Thomas’s chest but Mbappe had already opened the scoring and the France striker doubled his tally in the first half to put PSG on 80 points from 30 matches. Angers, who pulled a goal back in the second half through Karl Toko Ekambi, are 14th on 32 points. Although they are still without Neymar who is recovering from ankle surgery, Unai Emery’s side were a cut above and went ahead after 12 minutes when Mbappe fired home with a low shot after collecting a perfect through ball from Julian Draxler. Four minutes later Motta was sent off, only for Mbappe to make it 2-0 in the 26th minute from close range after a back pass by Layvin Kurzawa. Angers eventually made their numerical advantage count when Toko Ekambi found the back of the net after a one-two with Flavien Tait in the 76th minute. PSG wasted an opportunity to put the result beyond doubt when Mbappe’s fierce strike crashed on to Ludovic Butelle’s crossbar, but it did not stop the runaway leaders recording another victory.