Ligue 1 wrap: PSG see red thrice in win

A post-match brawl has marred Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 victory over Evian TG as the capital club won their fifth-straight game in Ligue 1.

Referee Olivier Thual sent off four players at Evian’s Parc des Sports, including Salvatore Sirigu of PSG and the home side’s Saber Khelifa after the final whistle, following an all-in shoving match involving players and officials from both teams.

After Thual had blown his whistle to finish the game, PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi seemingly mocked the Evian squad, sparking the feisty scenes.

PSG’s Marco Verratti and David Beckham were the other players to be shown red cards.

Javier Pastore scored the decisive goal of Sunday’s match when he sprinted onto Christophe Jallet’s square ball and curled a first-time strike past Evian goalkeeper Bertrand Laquait.

Evian, who had knocked PSG out of the Coupe de France on April 17, were denied an equaliser with 14 minutes remaining, as Khelifa’s header was ruled out after the Tunisian striker clashed with Sirigu in the process of nodding the ball into the net.

PSG’s victory took them to 73 points at the top of the table, nine ahead of second-placed Marseille, and means the capital club are just one win away from clinching the Ligue 1 title.

But PSG will enter next week’s match against Valenciennes without Sirigu, Verratti and Beckham after they were all sent off.

Verratti copped a second yellow card in the 81st minute, while Beckham was shown a straight red card after a petulant challenge on Youssef Adnane.

The English midfielder seemed to aim a stamp at Adnane in the third minute of stoppage time, missing the player and the ball but Thual deemed it dangerous enough to warrant a red card.

Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne were denied third position after a 1-1 draw with Lyon in the Derby du Rhone.

Saint-Etienne travelled 60 kilometres north east to Lyon and gave themselves a strong chance of leapfrogging their local rivals on the Ligue 1 table when Kurt Zouma scored in the 29th minute.

But the home side equalised nine minutes into the second half through Yoann Gourcuff, keeping Lyon in third, which comes with a UEFA Champions League qualifying berth, two points ahead of Saint-Etienne.

In the other clash, sixth-placed Nice came from behind to crush bottom-club Troyes 3-1.