Football

PSG scrape draw against Rennes with last-gasp Ramos penalty

PARIS: Goncalo Ramos converted a penalty with the last kick of the game to give Ligue 1 leaders Paris-Saint Germain a 1-1 home draw against bogey side Rennes on Sunday.

Brest are second, 11 points back, after beating Strasbourg 3-0 on Saturday.

Monaco jumped to third, two points further behind, on Sunday when Japan striker Takumi Minamino scored in the second minute of added time to give them a last-gasp 3-2 win at Lens.

Nice drew 0-0 at home with bottom-club Clermont and are a point behind in fourth. Lille lost 3-1 at Toulouse and are fifth.

In the late game, Marseille came from a goal behind to beat Montpellier 4-1 for a first league win this year.

Rennes, who beat AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday, rested Benjamin Bourigeaud, scorer of a hat-trick against the Italians, and Martin Terrier.

They still took the lead when Amine Gouiri fired a shot into the top corner in the 39th minute.

PSG took off star striker Kylian Mbappe, who is planning to leave at the end of the season, after an hour.

"We have to get used to playing without Kylian Mbappe," said coach Luis Enrique, who also took off Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

"It's a message for everyone," said Enrique. "I'm very demanding of the players. If you think I'm going to accept a player slacking off on the pitch, I'm not. I want you to say to yourself, when you're in the starting line-up, 'I want to make the most of this'."

As the home side pressed desperately for an equaliser in added time, Ramos, who had replaced Mbappe, was booked for diving in an attempt to win a penalty. Moments later, he plunged over goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

This time a video review went in favour of the Portuguese striker, who converted the spot kick to save PSG's two unbeaten runs: 18 games in Ligue 1 going back to September and 19 in all competitions since October.

The victory also saved PSG from losing at home to Rennes for a second straight season. The Breton club have beaten PSG seven times since the Qatari takeover in 2011. No other French team has more victories over the Parisians in that time.

"We're frustrated by this result," said Rennes coach Julien Stephan, adding there "are penalties given to the big teams, or in certain stadiums..."

In Lens, United States international Folarin Balogun put Monaco ahead after just 19 minutes. Minamino then doubled the lead on the half-hour.

Lens struck back through Elye Wahi and Wesley Said levelled in the 77th minute.

The hosts, who lost at Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday, faded in the last 10 minutes.

Balogun squandered an 83rd-minute penalty but Minamino drilled home in stoppage time.

"What a match!" said Monaco coach Adi Hutter.

"I hope this match will give us a lot of confidence for our next game against Paris Saint-Germain."

In Nice, home goalkeeper Marcin Bulka threw himself to his left at the end of the first half to save a penalty from Shamar Nicholson. It was Bulka's fourth save from six penalties he has faced in all competitions this season.

Nice have one win in their last six games.

"The performance was not brilliant," said Nice coach Francesco Farioli, but "it's not a tragedy."

Lille's poor away form continued as they threw away a half-time lead to lose at Toulouse, who ended their own winless home run.

Lille took the lead in added time with a goal from Hakon Haraldsson.

Toulouse, whose only home victory since October 1 was over Liverpool in the Europa League, hit three goals in a 17-minute burst.

Christian Mawissa levelled following a corner in the 49th minute.

Substitute Yann Gboho won a penalty eight minutes later that another half-time replacement, Vincent Sierro, converted.

Gboho then set up Thijs Dallinga for the third in the 66th minute. Lille have not won away in Ligue 1 since November 26.

Marseille, who had not won in the league since December, continued their upturn since Jean-Louis Gasset replaced Gennaro Gattuso in midweek.

Gasset's reign started with a Europa League victory on Thursday. On Sunday, Marseille conceded after four minutes to struggling Montpellier, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as they swept the visitors aside.--AFP

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