PARIS, France ● Paris Saint-Germain clinched their second straight French league title on Wednesday after rival Monaco drew 1-1 against French Cup holder Guingamp.
Second-place Monaco are seven points behind PSG and have only two matches remaining. PSG, which have played a game less, were hosting Rennes at home later Wednesday.
Monaco looked to have delayed PSG’s title celebrations for a little longer when forward Dimitar Berbatov headed home in the 77th minute, but Guingamp substitute Fatih Atik equalised with a volley in the 85th.
“PSG is a great team and they deserved it,” Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri said.
PSG, which were formed in 1970, have won four league titles. The club has invested massively in star players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani, since Qatari investors, QSI, bought the club in 2011.
PSG’s players were all smiles, shook hands in the tunnel and did high-fives before they took the field for their match at Parc des Princes, with the crowd roaring in delight upon hearing the news from Stade Louis II that Monaco had drawn.
“We weren’t thinking about Monaco, but before the game we were told that Monaco drew so that’s why we were relaxed when we came out,” Pastore said on Canal Plus television during the halftime break.
Last season, PSG won the league with 83 points – a total it had already equaled before Wednesday’s match – and finished 12 points ahead of Marseille and 16 clear of Lyon.
PSG also won the League Cup in April, beating Lyon 2-1 in the final, but went out in the Champions League quarterfinals for the second straight season on the away goals rule, losing 2-0 to Chelsea after winning the home leg 3-1.
In a tight first half, Guingamp almost surprised the home side when Lionel Mathis set up fellow midfielder Thibault Giresse – the son of the former France midfielder, Alain Giresse – and his shot was well saved by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic.
Berbatov looked visibly angry when, in the 55th, midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia tried his luck from 25 yards (meters) rather than pass to him in a better position.
Ten minutes later, winger James Rodriguez picked out midfielder Joao Moutinho, but his tame header was easily saved by Mamadou Samassa, who then saved Berbatov’s near-post effort moments later.
But the former Bulgaria forward broke Guingamp’s resistance when he headed in from close range after substitute Nabil Dirar’s crossed from the right, taking his tally to nine in 14 games since joining from Premier League side Fulham on a six-month deal in January.
However, slack defending let in Guingamp, and Atik was left unmarked to volley in a loose ball inside the penalty area.
The draw gives 16th-place Guingamp a vital point in its relegation scrap, moving it two points above Sochaux in 18th spot.
