PSG beats Reims 3-0 in French league

PARIS (AP) Paris Saint-Germain beat Reims 3-0 to provisionally move seven points clear at the top of the French league on Saturday.

Lucas Moura fired into the top corner in the 24th minute and Jeremy Menez doubled the lead from a tight angle in the 60th. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his ninth league goal to seal the win in stoppage time.

Reims midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak missed a penalty in the 68th.

PSG has not lost since March at Reims, 1-0.

"We learnt our lesson from last season's loss and did not make the same mistakes," PSG goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu said. "We're changing as a team. We're improving in every match."

Marseille beat Ajaccio 3-1 on Friday to pull within two points of third-place Monaco.

Also on Saturday, it was: Lyon 1, Valenciennes 1; Montpellier 1, Guingamp 1; Rennes 1, Bordeaux 1; Sochaux 1, Bastia 1; Evian 0, Lorient 4.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc rested some of his key players, leaving Blaise Matuidi, Edinson Cavani, Maxwell and Ezequiel Lavezzi on the bench. That did not prevent PSG from troubling Reims with the pace of wingers Lucas and Menez.

Lucas headed wide a cross from Christophe Jallet in the 23rd. But the Brazilian winger did not miss the target in the next minute.

Lucas won a header to redirect a clearance from Sirigu into the path of Ibrahimovic. The Swede played the ball back to Lucas, who outpaced Reims centerback Mickael Tacalfred and shot past goalkeeper Kossi Agassa.

Reims came close to equalizing in the 43rd. Tacalfred's long-range strike took a deflection off a PSG defender but Sirigu jumped to tip the ball over the bar. From the following corner, Sirigu spilled the ball and was lucky to see Reims striker Gaetan Courtet's flick cleared off the line by Marco Verratti.

Menez proved more clinical when Jallet made an interception to lead a counterattack. Verratti played Menez in and the PSG winger slammed the ball into the roof of the net.

Verratti gave away a penalty by tripping Floyd Ayite in the 67th but Krychowiak fired over the bar.

Denied by Agassa in the 79th and 89th, Ibrahimovic finally scored in the 91st. Agassa's throw bounced off Tacalfred and Ibrahimovic pounced on the loose ball.

Lyon lost ground in the race for a Champions League spot despite moving into sixth place, level on points with Guingamp, Reims and Bastia. Bafetimbi Gomis put Lyon ahead by nodding in a cross from Henri Bedimo in the 17th. But Valenciennes substitute Jean-Christophe Bahebeck leveled in the 66th, cutting inside to score with a curling shot.

"We lacked desire and humility," Lyon coach Remi Garde said. "We put ourselves in trouble and allowed our opponents to get back in the game."

Remy Cabella gave Montpellier the lead with a long-range strike into the top corner in the 70th but Thibault Giresse converted a penalty in the 77th to salvage a draw for Guingamp. Montpellier's winless streak stretched to six games in all competitions.

In Rennes, Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik headed in a corner for the hosts in the 63rd. But Bordeaux striker Cheick Diabate capitalized on the passivity of the Rennes defense to equalize in the 64th. Bordeaux remained level on points with mid-table Rennes.

Vincent Aboubakar scored twice to help Lorient earn its first win on the road this season. Lorient scored twice more after Evian winger Fabrice Ehret was sent off in the 57th.

On Sunday, second-place Lille hosts Toulouse, Monaco visits Nantes, and Saint-Etienne faces Nice.