Ligue 1: Ousmane Dembele Hits Brace As PSG Edge Out Saint-Etienne

Ousmane Dembele scored twice in the first half as Paris Saint-Germain beat Saint-Etienne 2-1 on Sunday to sit seven points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table halfway through the season

Ousmane Dembele scored twice in the first half as Paris Saint-Germain beat Saint-Etienne 2-1 on Sunday to sit seven points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table halfway through the season. Dembele opened the scoring with an individual effort on 13 minutes and then netted a penalty midway through the first half as PSG threatened to run riot against struggling opponents. However a Saint-Etienne side sitting in the relegation play-off place stemmed the tide and managed to pull a goal back through a Zuriko Davitashvili free-kick on 64 minutes.

PSG, who won the French Champions Trophy last weekend against Monaco in Doha, nevertheless held on and have won 13 and lost none of their 17 domestic league outings this season.

"I would like to congratulate Saint-Etienne because I loved the way they played, with no fear, attacking and pressing high. They were very daring and brave," said PSG coach Luis Enrique, whose team maintained their habit of being wasteful in front of goal.

"Since the start of the season we have created lots of chances but struggled to score goals, but I think tonight we played pretty well in general," said the Spaniard.

His side are on course to claim an 11th title in 13 years, with this victory at the Parc des Princes coming in response to nearest challengers Marseille's 2-1 win away at Rennes on Saturday.