PSG clinch fifth straight Ligue 1 title

LENS (Agencies): Paris St-Germain secured their fifth straight French Ligue 1 title on Wednesday as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s strike set up a decisive 2-0 win away to nearest rivals RC Lens. The Georgian netted his 19th goal of the season just before the half-hour mark and substitute Ibrahim Mbaye added a late second as PSG took an unassailable nine-point lead at the top with one match of the season remaining. PSG boss Luis Enrique said that his team showed they have the mentality to win games even when they are on the back foot.  “Today, we spent more time defending than usual,” said Luis Enrique. “But if you want to win trophies, you have to be able to dominate both offensively and defensively. And the team today showed the mentality it needs to win. “This is the sweetest and hardest title to win. The hardest of the three years we’ve had here, without a doubt. But that’s also because Lens did a very good job,” the Spanish manager added. PSG have now won a record 14 French titles overall with 12 of them coming in the last 14 years, a period in which they have been transformed under Qatari ownership. Five in a row is the longest streak of successive Ligue 1 titles since Olymp­ique Lyonnais claimed seven on the bounce between 2002 and 2008.

This latest league title adds to their trophy haul for the season, in which they had already won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and French Champions Trophy. There might yet be more to come, as the defending Europ­ean champions face Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 — they will become just the second team in the modern era to win back-to-back Euro­pean Cups if they defeat the Gunners.  “We wanted to come here and win, but we especially want to prepare for the final on May 30,” last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele told broadcaster beIN Sports.  “We have one more game to come on Sunday (against Paris FC). We will celebrate this because it’s official now, we are champions.” Lens, meanwhile, are now guaranteed to finish second, secu­ring a spot in the league phase of next season’s Champ­ions Lea­gue as they prepare to retu­rn to that competition for the first time since 2023/24. The northern side will also face Nice in the French Cup final on Friday, May 22. Wedn­esday’s other game saw Strasb­ourg win 2-1 at Brest with goals from Valentin Barco and Sebastian Nanasi. However they cannot finish higher than eighth and will not therefore qualify for Europe next season.