PSG held, Kalimuendo bags hat-trick in Ligue 1 rout

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PSG held, Kalimuendo bags hat-trick in Ligue 1 rout

Striker Arnaud Kalimuendo has scored a hat-trick and Rennes got back to winning ways in Ligue 1 by thrashing 10-man Saint-Etienne 5-0.

Leaders Paris Saint-Germian dropped points at home for the first time this season when they drew 1-1 with Nantes on Saturday, while Brest bounced back from a 3-0 loss at Barcelona in the Champions League midweek to beat Strasbourg 3-1.

Rennes coach Jorge Sampaoli’s first win with his new team came in his second match in charge after he took over this month.

They had ******* to score in more than a month and lost their three previous matches, but the result lifted the hosts to 12th and one point above Saint-Etienne.

The visitors made things difficult for themselves when Mathieu Cafaro, who hit the post earlier, was sent off for a handball in the box in the 37th minute.

Kalimuendo put Rennes in the driving seat from the penalty spot, and they returned to the locker room with a two-goal lead after Ludovic Blas found the net in added time.

Kalimuendo added another goal with a nice finish and converted a second penalty to seal his first Ligue 1 treble.

“We’re not going to say that everything clicked; we’re not going to get carried away. But it’s true that it feels good to win, to score a lot of goals, and to keep a clean sheet,” Amine Gouiri, who also scored, said.

The fiery Sampaoli returned to French soccer following a previous stint with Marseille. Sampaoli was in charge of Argentina at the 2018 World Cup. He has also coached clubs in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Spain and Brazil. Sampaoli abruptly left Marseille in July 2022 after leading the team back to the Champions League, over a disagreement related to the club’s transfers of players.

PSG, meantime, could not hold onto an early lead at Parc des Princes.

Achraf Hakimi put the home side in front early but Nantes levelled against the run of the play before the interval. Matthis Abline beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a left-footed shot after dribbling past Willian Pacho.

Luis Enrique’s PSG (33 points) side remain unbeaten in the league, extending their lead over second-placed Monaco to seven. The Principality side travel to third-placed Marseille on Sunday.

Nantes remain 16th, the relegation playoff position.

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