PSG beat Le Havre to stay on course for unbeaten Ligue 1 season

PSG beat Le Havre to stay on course for unbeaten Ligue 1 season
Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue celebrates scoring their first goal during their Ligue 1 match against Le Havre at Parc des Princes, Apr. 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 19 April 2025

PSG beat Le Havre to stay on course for unbeaten Ligue 1 season

PSG beat Le Havre to stay on course for unbeaten Ligue 1 season
  • Desire Doue and Goncalo Ramos scored the goals for PSG
  • PSG had already secured a fourth successive Ligue 1 title before this game

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain stayed on course to complete the Ligue 1 season without losing a game as the Champions League semifinalists beat struggling Le Havre 2-1 on Saturday.
Desire Doue and Goncalo Ramos scored the goals for PSG either side of half-time at the Parc des Princes, as coach Luis Enrique changed almost his entire starting line-up following the midweek European clash with Aston Villa.
PSG had already secured a fourth successive Ligue 1 title before this game, and their 10th consecutive league win leaves them on 77 points with five matches remaining.
No side has ever completed an entire French top-flight campaign unbeaten.
“We knew this game was a potential banana skin for us after a Champions League match which sucked out all our energy and left us feeling tired,” Luis Enrique said.
“All the ingredients were there for this to be a difficult game against a side who were in need of points.”
Achraf Hakimi and Bradley Barcola were the only players to keep their place in the PSG line-up at kick-off, following the 3-2 defeat away to Aston Villa which saw them edge through to the last four of the Champions League and a tie against Arsenal.
Doue gave PSG the lead inside eight minutes, and Ramos made the most of his chance in the starting line-up by making it 2-0 shortly after half-time with his 15th goal this season.
Issa Soumare pulled one back for Le Havre, but the result leaves the Normandy side still in third-bottom spot, the relegation play-off place.
If the title race in France is already over, the fight for European qualification behind PSG is intense, with the next six teams separated by only six points.
Second-placed Monaco drew 0-0 at home to Strasbourg, who are three points behind them in fifth, on a blustery evening in the principality.
Monaco were looking for a seventh successive home win in Ligue 1, but leading scorer Mika Biereth had a goal disallowed for a tight offside call in first-half stoppage time.
They had most of the chances, but Strasbourg had the ball in the net late on too, only for Emanuel Emegha’s effort from close range to also be ruled out for offside.
Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg are now unbeaten in 10 games and remain hopeful of qualifying for the Champions League — a level the Alsace outfit have not played at since the 1979/80 European Cup.
“I have a group of players who believe they can do it, and I believe they can do it as well,” said Englishman Rosenior, whose side are undefeated since early February.
“Nobody said that this team would be able to do this at the start of the season.
“Ten games unbeaten, and the players are disappointed not to win against Nice (a 2-2 draw last week) and now Monaco, which shows how far we have come in a short space of time.”
Marseille have the chance to move back above Monaco into second with a win at home to doomed bottom side Montpellier later.
Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille are under pressure on a run of five defeats in their last seven matches, a sequence which has left them at risk of missing out on a return to the Champions League.
Lyon, in fourth, go to derby rivals Saint-Etienne on Sunday looking to bounce back from their agonizing Europa League loss to Manchester United on Thursday.
Lille and Nice, who are now sixth and seventh respectively, also play key games in the fight for Europe on Sunday.
The top three qualify automatically for the Champions League, with fourth going into the preliminary rounds.
Fifth place qualifies for the Europa League and sixth for the Conference League, although there will be an extra Europa League place available via the league should PSG beat Reims in the French Cup final next month.


UAE raise medal tally to 11 at 2025 World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship

UAE raise medal tally to 11 at 2025 World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Updated 7 sec ago

UAE raise medal tally to 11 at 2025 World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship

UAE raise medal tally to 11 at 2025 World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship
  • U-16 girls’ team claim 1 silver and 3 bronze on Sunday in Thailand

BANGKOK: The UAE jiu-jitsu national team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Co., raised their total medal tally to 11 at the 2025 World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Sunday in Thailand.

The tournament, which has age categories under 16, 18 and 21, began on Nov. 8 and ends on Friday in Bangkok.

The girls’ under-16 team added four medals on Sunday, including one silver and three bronze, to the seven medals won by the boys’ team on the opening day.

Sara Farook won silver in the 48 kg category, Mathail Alhammadi and Ghaiaheb Alrashdi earned bronze in the 36 kg division, and Maitha Alkarbi claimed bronze in the 40 kg division.

The UAE team’s total in the under-16 division now stands at 11 medals, including two gold, three silver and six bronze.

Abdulla Al-Zaabi, director of marketing and corporate communications at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, praised the team.

He said their skill and discipline highlight the continued development of women’s jiu-jitsu in the UAE, supported by the nation’s leadership and the federation’s commitment to nurturing Emirati talent.

“This strong start gives us great motivation to maintain our momentum in the under-18 and under-21 categories and to increase our medal tally further,” said Al-Zaabi.

“It also reinforces the UAE’s standing among the leading jiu-jitsu nations on the world stage.”

Silver medalist Farook commented: “Standing on the podium at the 2025 world championship and winning silver is a dream come true.

“The matches were tough, but with the guidance of our coaches and the support of my teammates, I stayed focused on representing the UAE in the best way possible.

“I’m proud to have contributed to the team’s success and will keep working hard to win gold and raise the UAE flag in future competitions.”

The championship continues on Monday, Nov. 10, with the boys’ under-18 category, as the UAE national team look to build more momentum and add to their medal count.