Ancelotti not giving up on title dream

Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti insists the Ligue 1 title race is still alive despite losing 2-1 to Lille on Sunday.

PSG, who started the weekend two points behind table-toppers Montpellier, looked good for all three points after Javier Pastore opened the scoring on 48 minutes, but a red card to defender Mamadou Sakho 20 minutes from time instigated the turnaround, and Lille subsequently made their man-advantage count with two goals in the last 20 minutes.

And with Montpellier victorious at Toulouse, Rene Girard’s men now lead the standings by five points with just four matches to play.

Ancelotti thinks his side can still win the title though with Montpellier still to face Lille (third on the table) and Stade Rennes (fourth) before the season is over.

“It was not a good night,” Ancelotti said of the club’s defeat on Sunday.

“We lost an important game … a game we lost when we lost the control of the game. We played well in the second half.

“We had the opportunity to score another goal on the counter attack. After that, we conceded a penalty. The game became very difficult for us. But that’s football.

“We must look forward. The season is not over. We didn’t lose the title. It will be more difficult. But we didn’t lose it.

“We have four games to play. It will be important to have a reaction after this defeat. We can still win (the league). We must play four games and do our best.”

With only the top two sides in Ligue 1 automatically qualifying for the group stages of next season’s UEFA Champions League, Ancelotti is also wary of Lille, who are hot on PSG’s heels in third.

“Lille are just two points behind,” he said.

“We want to secure a spot for the Champions League. For sure, the next game (against Saint-Etienne at home) will be important, to see the reaction we will have and to win again.”