PSG Stays on Top as Ligue 1 Title Fight Intensifies with Lens and Marseille in Pursuit

PSG's Title Push Gains Momentum

After back‑to‑back slips and surrendering the top spot, reigning champions Paris Saint‑Germain steadied the ship with a 3‑0 win over Brest, thanks to a double from Moroccan winger Achraf Hakimi, who reminded everyone why he is indispensable in the modern game. The result nudged PSG back into first place as they prepare to travel to Lorient, a club still striving for consistency in Ligue 1’s tenth round.

The triumph restored Paris’ lead at the summit by a single point over Marseille’s chasing pack and by two over the midtable battlers from the south coast. Lens remain close in pursuit, keeping the title duel wide open as the calendar advances and the fixtures pile up for all contenders.

For the second consecutive match, after a dazzling 7‑2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, Ousmane Dembélé started on the bench as he returned from a knee issue, coming on as a substitute as part of the squad rotation and adaptation phase under the Spaniard Luis Enrique.

Defender Marquinhos and young forward Désiré Doue also rejoined the fray, restoring a familiar spine to PSG’s lineup and adding depth at a time when the coach is balancing European duties with domestic obligations.

Enrique spoke after the Brest win, stressing caution with Dembélé and highlighting his current good form: “We don’t want to rush anything. He feels very good, and that is what we want to harness. We must manage the situation carefully, and he should be fully ready as soon as possible.” He went on to compare the league campaign to a marathon: a long, grueling trek that rewards pace, endurance, and, above all, consistency across 42 kilometers of footballing action.

“The league is a marathon, it can feel fast in the early kilometres, but the finish line still awaits after 42 kilometers,” Enrique continued. “There are still many matches to play. We must maintain our performance steady and calm, knowing our capabilities while enjoying leading the pack.”

Hakimi earned high praise from his coach, who called him the best right‑back in the world and lauded his ability to spot spaces and exploit them. When you press a defense that tends to drop deep, you must find and attack those gaps, and Hakimi’s timing has been a recurrent weapon for PSG this season.

Even though the campaign is still in its early stages and PSG are perennially labeled favorites to lift the title, the competition is proving to be fierce. The capital club currently sits four points clear of seventh‑placed Strasbourg, a reminder that a long road lies ahead and every point counts.

“We can deliver a season better than expected,” the coach asserted, a line that captures the optimism around PSG as they edge toward another potential trophy—while mindful that the road is still long and unpredictable.

In Marseille, Les Olympiens, coming off two successive defeats by tough opponents, host Angers with the aim of restoring balance and asserting their claim to a return to the upper echelons of Ligue 1. Angers sit in the lower half of the table, giving Marseille a chance to reassert themselves and climb the standings with a disciplined home performance.

Roberto De Zerbi, Marseille’s Italian coach, remained upbeat after a setback, noting that his team had shown superior play against a side that relies on sheer physical power and vertical football. He stressed that his side had been the better team in several key moments and that continued improvement would be rewarded with better results in ensuing fixtures.

Meanwhile, Lens, Lyon, and Monaco are among the clubs keeping a close eye on the race, hoping to capitalize on any misstep and surge into the top spots as the season deepens. Lyon, in particular, are chasing to stay in touch, while Lille and Monaco trail just behind PSG’s pace in a tight gridlock of talent and ambition.

Humor break: If football were a relay race, PSG would be sprinting with the baton while their rivals are still tying their laces. And if the league were a bakery, Lens would be the croissant—flaky on the outside, with layers to peel back as the dough rises. As for the rest of us, we’ll just pretend our fantasy teams aren’t mutinous when the real league gets spicy.