Injury-hit PSG beat Lens as tempers flare

Injury-hit Paris St Germain beat struggling RC Lens 3-1 in a heated Ligue 1 game featuring three red cards at the Stade de France on Friday.

>>Reuters
Published : 18 Oct 2014, 08:34 AM
Updated : 18 Oct 2014, 08:35 AM

Two Lens players and one from PSG were sent off in the second half as the Parisians moved up to second in the standings with 18 points from 10 games, four adrift of Olympique de Marseille who have a match in hand.

Lens, who were hosting the match at the Stade de France as their Bollaert stadium is closed for renovation ahead of Euro 2016, went ahead on 10 minutes when Adama Coulibaly fired home from the edge of the box.

PSG, without injured striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and centre backs Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Marquinhos, hit back in the 28th minute when Yohan Cabaye found the back of the net with a 20-metre strike from Maxwell's pass.

The Brazilian full back doubled the tally six minutes later with a clever 25-metre lob.

Things got worse for promoted Lens in the 54th minute when Jean-Philippe Gbamin was sent off for a second bookable offence after he pushed Edinson Cavani in the box.

The Uruguay striker converted the resulting penalty to put PSG 3-1 up, just before himself being sent off for touching referee Nicolas Rainville's arm.

Lens finished the game with nine men when Jerome Le Moigne was dismissed after picking up a second yellow card on 59 minutes.

The result left Lens in 18th place with eight points from 10 matches.

Leaders Marseille will bid for an eighth consecutive league win when they host Toulouse on Sunday (1200 GMT/8 AM ET).