Ligue 1: PSG Win First Game After Suspending Messi

Paris St-Germain moved to within three wins of the Ligue 1 title with a routine victory at Troyes.

PSG were dominant playing in their first match since suspending World Cup winner Lionel Messi.

Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for the champions in the eighth minute before Vitinha doubled the lead midway through the second half.

Xavier Chavalerin pulled a goal back for Troyes late on, only for PSG to add a third through Fabian Ruiz.

PSG, who came into this match having lost three of their past six games, now need just seven more points to win a record 11th French title.

They are six points clear of second-placed Lens with four more fixtures remaining this season.

Troyes stayed 19th, 12 points off safety, and must win all of their remaining games – and hope results go their way – to pull off an unlikely survival.

Elsewhere, Alexandre Lacazette scored four goals, including a 100th-minute penalty, to help his Lyon side beat Montpellier in an epic 5-4 thriller.

After Lacazette opened the scoring in the 31st minute, Montpellier’s Elye Wahi scored four unanswered goals to put his side 4-1 up after 55 minutes.

Goals from Lacazette and Dejan Lovren then reduced the deficit with Lacazette equalising in the 82nd minute.

And the ex-Arsenal forward netted the winner from the spot seconds from time.

Lyon were awarded the penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time after the video assistant referee adjudged Christopher Jullien to have brought Lacazette down in the area.

The result saw Lyon stay seventh, three points off a Europa League qualification spot with four matches remaining in Ligue 1.

Montpellier remained 12th, 11 points clear of the relegation places.