PSG Set New French Points Record

Edinson Cavani scored a hat-trick as champions Paris St-Germain set a new record points total in Ligue 1 after an easy win against Ajaccio in Corsica.

Laurent Blanc’s runaway leaders moved on to 92 points with two games of the 38-match season remaining.

Uruguay forward Cavani, 29, broke the deadlock with a perfectly placed header before his clinical finish made it 2-0.

He completed his hat-trick with another header before Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed the rout in stoppage time.

The win keeps PSG 27 points clear of nearest rivals Lyon, who thrashed third-placed Monaco 6-1 and have played one game more.

Forward Alexandre Lacazette scored a hat-trick for Lyon, while former Newcastle United defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa got two and midfielder Rachid Ghezzal also found the net.

PSG’s last two league games are away to mid-table Bordeaux on Wednesday before they host Nantes on 14 May.

Blanc’s side, who have also won the French League Cup, meet Marseille in the Coupe de France final on 21 May.

BBC

PSG Set New French Points Record

Rafael Nadal Sues French Ex-Minister Over Doping Claims

World number five Rafael Nadal has filed a lawsuit against former French government minister Roselyne Bachelot, who accused him of doping.

“I intend to defend my integrity and my image as an athlete but also the values I have defended all my career,” the Spaniard, 29, said in a statement.

Last month, former Minister for Health and Sport Bachelot said Nadal’s seven-month absence in 2012 was “probably due to a positive doping test”.

He says he had tendinitis and a virus.

“I wish to avoid any public figure from making insulting or false allegations against an athlete using the media, without any evidence,” added 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal.

He had already announced his intention to sue Bachelot, saying: “I am tired about these things. I let it go a few times in the past. Not any more.”

Bachelot, 69, served in Nicolas Sarkozy’s government from 2007 to 2010. She has since left politics.

BBC

Rafael Nadal Sues French Ex-Minister Over Doping Claims

PSG Win French League Cup For Third Year In A Row

Angel di Maria scored the decisive goal as 10-man Paris St-Germain beat Lille to win France’s Coupe de la Ligue for the third year running.

Javier Pastore’s volley gave Laurent Blanc’s side a half-time lead, as Lille appealed for offside.

Djibril Sidibe equalised with a free-kick, before PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot was sent off.

Di Maria rolled in the winner as keeper Vincent Enyeama inexplicably charged 30 yards from goal to meet the winger.

Victory means that PSG remain on course for a clean sweep of domestic trophies, having won the Trophees des Champions and Ligue 1, and with the Coupe de France final against Marseille to come on 21 May.

Manager Blanc’s future, though, remains uncertain because of his failure to take the club beyond the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League, where they were defeated by Manchester City.

Di Maria shot weakly at Enyeama in the opening seconds of an entertaining final at the Stade de France, with Lille looking the more dangerous side after surviving a difficult opening 10 minutes.

Frederic Antonetti’s team had won six successive games going into the final, but went behind to a controversial goal five minutes before before half-time.

Pastore lashed a shot at goal as Lille struggled to clear a corner, with PSG full-back Layvin Kurzawa standing in an offside position inside the six-yard box as the ball flew into the net.

The officials ruled that Kurzawa was not active because he did not move towards the ball, but Enyeama believed that he was effectively prevented from diving to save the shot because the PSG man was in the way.

Lille responded positively, though, with Sidibe directing a free-kick into the corner of the net four minutes into the second half after Adrien Rabiot had been booked for fouling Sofiane Boufal.

Rabiot picked up a second booking, and was dismissed, for a late challenge on Boufal with 20 minutes left.

Lille, though, gave away a soft goal four minutes later, as Adama Soumaoro’s weak back header allowed Di Maria to sprint on to goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu’s clearance, and the Argentian international nicked the ball past the onrushing Enyeama.

Soumaoro headed wide with a good chance to bring Lille level again, but PSG held on.

BBC

PSG Win French League Cup For Third Year In A Row

French Club Approach Mourinho

Paris Saint-Germain have made an approach to Jose Mourinho to become their new manager this summer, according to Sky sources.

PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is understood to have instigated the approach to Mourinho – via his agent Jorge Mendes – immediately after PSG’s Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester City last week, having grown frustrated at the club’s lack of progress in Europe under Laurent Blanc.

Sky Sports News HQ understands Mourinho’s preference is to wait until the end of the season and monitor any developments at Manchester United, although he does consider PSG a credible choice for his return to management and is considering his options.

Mourinho is known to have a friendship with Al-Khelaifi, which pre-dates the Qatari’s ownership of PSG. Al-Khelaifi has tried to appoint the 53-year-old as manager twice before, and remains convinced the Portuguese is the man most likely to achieve the club’s ambition of winning the Champions League.

Last week, Al-Khelaifi could not hide his disappointment after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by City, and admitted Blanc took a “tactical gamble” by playing a three-man defence in the second leg, which they lost 1-0, eventually going out 3-2 on aggregate.

The manner of the defeat was branded a “fiasco” by sports newspaper L’Equipe, and despite the fact Blanc signed a new two-year contract in February keeping keep him at the club until 2018, Al-Khelaifi now wants Mourinho to replace him this summer.

PSG’s approach to Mourinho will not go unnoticed among the Manchester United hierarchy, who will review Louis van Gaal’s position at the end of the season. United currently sit four points off the top four in the Premier League with five games remaining, but could still win the FA Cup.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports News HQ on April 9, Mourinho denied any agreement was in place for him to join Manchester United in the summer. “I am always linked with jobs and in the summer I will have a job, but in this moment I can promise you I do not have a contract with any club,” he said.

Were United to sack Van Gaal this summer and replace him with Mourinho, it would also have an impact upon player recruitment at Old Trafford.

Last week, Sky Sports News HQ revealed Zlatan Ibrahimovic would only be willing to join Manchester United if Van Gaal left the club. The Swede is available on a free transfer this summer but in his 2011 autobiography I Am Zlatan, he alluded to a strained relationship with Van Gaal during their time together at Ajax.

Meanwhile, United are known admirers of John Stones, who Mourinho unsuccessfully tried to bring to Chelsea from Everton last summer. Everton rejected three bids from Chelsea for the defender, and refused to sell Stones. It is understood Mourinho would approve of signing both the 21-year-old and Ibrahimovic if he were to take over at Old Trafford.

PSG have refused to comment.

French Club Approach Mourinho

Djokovic Targets French Open After Sixth Miami Title

Novak Djokovic beat Kei Nishikori in straight sets to win the Miami Open for a record-equalling sixth time.

The world number one matched Andre Agassi’s Miami tally with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph in one hour and 26 minutes.

Djokovic, 28, also moves ahead of Rafael Nadal with a record 28 Masters tournament wins in his career.

“It’s quite amazing,” said the Serb. “I’m very thrilled about it and hopefully I can make many more records.”

He also becomes the first man to win the Indian Wells-Miami double three years in a row, and surpasses Roger Federer as the ATP’s leading prize money winner on $98.2m (£69m).

‘It’s tough to find his weakness’

Japan’s Nishikori broke serve in the opening game but was broken straight back, and after a scrappy start to the match Djokovic took charge from 4-3.

He won four games in a row to move a break up in the second set and broke for a fifth time to win the match.

“I thought he started very well, breaking my serve in the first game and coming up with some aggressive play,” said Djokovic.

“I needed to answer right back, which I did in the following game – that helped me mentally.”

Nishikori, 26, said: “It’s tough to find his weakness, honestly. The biggest thing is he has great defence and it’s tough to open up the space.

“I had a couple of strategies before the match, but I don’t think I did them well enough to beat him today.”French Open the next target

Djokovic has only one loss to his name in 29 matches this year – and that was a retirement with an eye infection in Dubai.

With 11 Grand Slam titles, the Serb is already among the very best ever to have played the game – and catching Federer’s record tally of 17 majors is in his thoughts.

“Of course it is in the back of my mind somewhere but I don’t have that as a main motivation, because it can present some kind of distraction that I don’t need,” he said.

The next few months could go a long way to making his case as he gets the chance to land the two biggest titles to have eluded him – the French Open and Olympic gold.

“I don’t feel too exhausted,” he said. “I don’t think I will have any difficulty to make the transition to the clay courts quickly. Let’s see what happens.

“Clay courts are the most physically demanding surface, so also looking at the big picture, the French Open is the biggest goal that I have on the clay courts. I’ll try to adjust to that tournament as well.”

Credit: BBC

Djokovic Targets French Open After Sixth Miami Title

Jonathan Mensah crushes out of French Cup

Black Stars defender Jonathan Mensah crushed out of the Coup De France with a home defeat to AS Monaco.

The 25 year old saw full action in the marathon cup tie as Monaco progressed with late goals in extra time.

Jonathan Mensah has been crocked by a recurring injury picked with the national side since the commencement of the 2015/16 season.

Evian Thonon collapsed very late into the tie as Monaco won 1-3 in the last 16 tie of the domestic cup.

The former Udinese centre was reinstated into the starting berth after his surprised substitution in the league match upon his injury return.

The composed defender however churned out impressive display at the back for the Ligue II side despite exiting the tourney in front of their teaming fans.

Ivorian giant striker Lacine Traore opened the scoring for Monaco on the stroke of full time before Morgan Karmin drew parity for the second tier side 3 minutes into the hour mark.

A boggy last 30 minutes failed to separte the sides before late goals in extra time from Mario Pasalic and Helder Costa won the ticket for the 2004 European Champions league finalist.

Mensah was slapped with a four month ban from FIFA after spotting irregularities in his transfer from Udinese to Evian Thonon Gillard.

Jonathan Mensah crushes out of French Cup

Majeed Waris strikes to snatch vital away point for Lorient

Black Stars striker Majeed Waris registered his fifth goal of the season for Lorient away to Renes in the French Ligue I.

The 25 year old attacker registered the second goal for his side after an early assist for the opener in a four goal thriller in the France top flight league.

The high flying forward however left the pitch midway through the second half with a suspected injury.

The Lorient forward came close to putting his visiting side into a second minute lead before his precise ball was turned home by Renes Senegalese centre back Fallou Diagne four minutes into the clash.

Waris then turned the screw on and registered his personal goal 22 minutes into the game to put Lorient two goals up away from home.

Two quick strikes from Ousman Dembele and Jeremie in a turn around six minutes levelled matters for the home sides with four minutes to recess.

The two sides however kept the shooting boots in the dressing room after recess with profligate attacking display contrary to the clinical first half.

Majeed Waris left the pitch in pain with suspected injury on the 53rd minutes as Lorient held on for a well deserved point away from home. The much travelled Ghanaian has since managed 5goals in his 12 appearances for the French Le Championate side as they stay 8 clear of the drop.

Majeed Waris strikes to snatch vital away point for Lorient