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Rediff.com  » Sports » Euro football round-up: PSG thump Angers 5-1; Milan drop points

Euro football round-up: PSG thump Angers 5-1; Milan drop points

January 24, 2016 12:32 IST
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Photos from matches played in the French Ligue 1 and Serie A matches played on Saturday

Paris St Germain's Angel Di Maria challenges Angers' Billy Ketkeophomphone as they vie for possession during their Ligue 1 match at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Saturday

IMAGE: Paris St Germain's Angel Di Maria challenges Angers' Billy Ketkeophomphone as they vie for possession during their Ligue 1 match at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Saturday. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Angel Di Maria struck twice as runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain crushed Angers 5-1 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucas and Gregory van der Wiel were also on target for Laurent Blanc's side while Pierrick Capelle replied for Angers who are fifth in the table.

Unbeaten PSG, gunning for a fourth consecutive title, have 60 points from 22 games and lead second-placed Nice, who beat Lorient 2-1, by 24 points.

Monaco are third, also 24 points off the pace, ahead of the principality team's home match against Toulouse on Sunday.

Angers have 34 points, behind Stade Rennais on goal difference after the side from Brittany gave new coach Rolland Courbis a 1-0 victory over Gazelec Ajaccio in his first game in charge on Friday.

Nantes hold the record for the longest unbeaten streak in the league after going 32 matches without losing in 1994-95.

Angers looked lively in the opening half-hour but PSG took the lead in the 32nd minute when Ibrahimovic scored with a deflected low shot.

Lucas latched on to a cross to make it 2-0 in the 40th minute before van der Wiel added the third goal from point-blank range following excellent work by Ibrahimovic and Blaise Matuidi.

Capelle pulled a goal back for Angers with a vicious 20-metre shot but Di Maria netted in the 63rd minute with a delightful long-range volley.

The Argentine winger then completed the scoring with a half-volley in the 66th minute.

Defensive failings undermine Milan in draw with Empoli

AC Milan's Mario Balotelli in action against an Empoli FC player during their Serie A match at Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli on Saturday

IMAGE: AC Milan's Mario Balotelli in action against an Empoli FC player during their Serie A match at Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli on Saturday. Photograph: Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

AC Milan twice squandered the lead as they were held 2-2 at Empoli on Saturday in another disjointed Serie A showing from Sinisa Mihajlovic's side.

Inconsistent Milan have shown signs of progress in recentweeks and while they extended their unbeaten run to four games in all competitions, it was a result unlikely to ease the pressure on the coach.

Familiar defensive failings again undermined them as goals from Carlos Bacca and Giacomo Bonaventura were cancelled out by Empoli pair Piotr Zielinski and Massimo Maccarone.

The hosts could have overtaken sixth-placed Milan with a win but fell behind in the eighth minute when a long pass found Bacca who slammed the ball past Lukasz Skorupski.

Zielinski equalised in the 32nd minute after meeting an excellent threaded ball from Riccardo Saponara.

Milan then went back in front in bizarre fashion in the 48th minute when an Empoli clearance smashed M'Baye Niang in the face and the ball deflected into the path of Bonaventura who finished with aplomb.

Empoli were level again 13 minutes later as the agelessMaccarone finished from close range after Gianluigi Donnarumma parried a Manuel Pucciarelli effort into his path.

Milan now have 33 points from 21 games, two behind AS Roma, while Empoli stay eighth on 32.

In Saturday's early kickoff, struggling Frosinone missed an opportunity to end their seven-game run without a victory when they drew 0-0 at home against Atalanta who have not won in six. The draw left Frosinone second from bottom, five points fromsafety. Atalanta are 12th on 26 points.

There are eight matches on Sunday with second-placed Juventus hosting Roma, leaders Napoli visiting Sampdoria and Inter Milan, who are third, entertaining Carpi.

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Source: REUTERS
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