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PSG take away Classico victory, Saint-Etienne slide again in French Ligue 1

Xinhua, February 27, 2017 Adjust font size:

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain remained in the title race with a 5-1 lopsided road victory over Marseille in the Classico, while Saint-Etienne suffered their fourth straight loss after being shocked by Caen 1-0 in the 27th round of the French Ligue 1 on Sunday.

PSG maintained their second position, three points adrift of leaders Monaco, while leading Nice on goal difference.

The reigning champions took an early lead six minutes into the game, when Brazilian center back duo Thiago Silva and Marquinhos made it a spectacular heading combination, before the latter finished on target.

In the 16th minute, Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani netted his 26th goal of the campaign on Javier Pastore's stitching pass outside the box, followed by Lucas Moura and Julian Draxler's goals early in the second half.

After Marseille defender Rod Fanni had a consolation goal in the 70th minute, Blaise Matuidi steered the goal into the top corner three minutes later, curtaining a scoring frenzy night for PSG.

Crashing out at the Europa League last 32 on a 4-0 aggregate to Manchester United, Saint-Etienne still could not return to the winning track in the domestic league. They were one goal down in the 33rd minute against relegation-threatened Caen, as Vincent Bessat's pass from the left found Rodelin, who headed the ball into the far corner.

Caen nearly doubled their lead in the second half, but Jonathan Delaplace's shot was denied by the bar. As Saint-Etienne pressed forward to pull the game back, their empty defense was almost taken advantage of by the visitors, while substitute Yann Karamoh's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.

Lyon continued their recent momentum after combining 11 goals in the two-leg Europa League round of 32. Memphis Depay, who joined from Manchester United during the winter transfer window, nailed his first brace in French league, before Ivan Balliu's own goal, Lacazette's 22nd league goal of the season and Mathieu Valbuena's success added to a five-goal clean sheet against Metz.

Lyon sat on fourth position, four points ahead of Bordeaux. Two successive losses in the league have dragged Saint-Etienne to sixth place. Endit