Loss dampens PSG title celebrations

Paris St Germain celebrated their second consecutive Ligue 1 title with two games to spare despite suffering their first home league defeat of the season in a 2-1 loss to Stade Rennes.

Laurent Blanc’s team secured the championship shortly before kickoff after second-placed Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw by En Avant Guingamp.

The result left PSG, on 83 points, with an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the standings.

PSG, who also won the League Cup this season, needed Guingamp to snatch at least a point at Louis II to be crowned champions without kicking a ball.

Dimitar Berbatov headed home from point-blank range to open the scoring for Monaco in the 77th minute, only for Fatih Atik to level five minutes from time.

Paris’ early celebrations

The result triggered scenes of celebration at the Parc des Princes a few minutes before the kickoff of the PSG v Rennes game.

Guingamp, who beat Rennes in the French Cup final, are 16th in the standings, two points above safety.

Monaco will finish second while Lille and St Etienne will battle it out for third place in the last two round of matches.

There were a few boos at halftime at the Parc des Princes after goals by Foued Kadir and Paul-Georges Ntep gave Rennes a 2-1 lead.

Ezequiel Lavezzi opened the scoring for PSG on three minutes after being set up by Edinson Cavani.

The crowd’s discontent made room for pure joy when striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his comeback from a five-week injury layoff when he came on for Lavezzi in the 56th minute.

The Swede forced Benoit Costil into a spectacular save with a 40-metre missile but he failed to add to his 30 league goals this season.

The result means that Rennes, now 13th with a six-point lead over 18th-placed Sochaux, have virtually secured their place in the top flight thanks to a comfortable goal difference.