Laurent Blanc’s men were rampant against Le Championnat’s bottom club as they secured the league crown with a glut of goals

Paris Saint-Germain secured a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title in stunning style, thrashing Troyes 9-0 in a club-record league victory on Sunday.

Edinson Cavani, Javier Pastore and Adrien Rabiot had the champions three goals up within 19 minutes against the bottom-of-the table hosts.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved past 100 Ligue 1 goals with a stunning hat-trick in under 10 minutes at the start of the second half, before Matthieu Saunier’s own goal and a Cavani rebound from his own missed penalty piled the misery on Troyes, who ended with 10 men after Lossemy Karaboue’s red card.

Ibrahimovic added his fourth of the afternoon with two minutes left as PSG emphatically pulled 25 points ahead of second-placed Monaco with eight matches remaining, sealing the club’s sixth Ligue 1 crown.

Laurent Blanc’s men will now set their sights on an historic quadruple, with their hopes in the Champions League, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue still alive after a league campaign that has seen them win 24, draw five and lose just one of their 30 games.

Any doubts over whether this would be the match that gave PSG title glory were quickly put to bed with a run of three goals in just under six first-half minutes.

Troyes made a disastrous mistake to set up the first after 13 minutes when an awful square pass from defender Saunier allowed Cavani to race through on goal unchallenged.

The Uruguay international’s first attempt was saved by the legs of Matthieu Dreyer, but he was able to comfortably roll home at the second attempt.

The second goal was the pick of the bunch, with Pastore latching onto Ibrahimovic’s flick before surging past two defenders and dinking a superb finish over Dreyer, who had gone to ground.

PSG then quickly moved three ahead when Cavani collected Pastore’s clever pass and saw a shot pushed away by Dreyer, but the onrushing Rabiot slid home a left-footed effort on the rebound.

At the other end, Kevin Trapp had to get out quickly to save from Babacar Gueye and Corentin Jean lashed the rebound into the side-netting, but Troyes were unable to reduce the deficit prior to half-time.

A rampant PSG made it 4-0 just 21 seconds into the second half when Ibrahimovic collected Cavani’s pass and fired left-footed beyond Dreyer.

It was five after 52 minutes after excellent wide play from Angel Di Maria on the left led to him crossing for Ibrahimovic and the forward stretched impressively to divert a right-footed volley into the bottom corner.

Ibrahimovic completed his treble three minutes later. This time it was Layvin Kurzawa who created the chance from the left and the Sweden striker guided a brilliant half-volley into the far corner from 20 yards for his 26th league goal of the campaign.

Another Kurzawa cross led to PSG’s seventh just before the hour, with Saunier’s miserable day at the office continuing as he inadvertently put the ball past Dreyer.

Trapp saved well from Jessy Pi, with Troyes unable to prevent the embarrassment from worsening when they had substitute Karaboue sent off for bringing down Cavani in the area as he bore down on goal.

The striker took the spot-kick himself and saw a poor effort from 12 yards saved by Dreyer, but converted the rebound to make it eight.

An unforgettable day for PSG, whose previous best result in Ligue 1 was a 6-0 romp against Guingamp last May, then saw them score a ninth with two minutes remaining when Pastore slipped through a pass for Ibrahimovic to fire home.

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The visitors progressed to the semi-final of the competition thanks to a clinical second half performance against Arsene Wenger’s men at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday

Watford stunned FA Cup holders Arsenal with a 2-1 quarter-final victory that piled further pressure on Arsene Wenger at a mutinous Emirates Stadium.

Recent slip-ups in the Premier League title race and the likelihood that Barcelona will complete a two-legged Champions League victory over Arsenal this week left a third consecutive FA Cup triumph as the most realistic prospect of silverware for long-serving boss Wenger this season.

But they failed to make first-half dominance count, with Mohamed Elneny the main culprit in terms of missed chances, and Watford – without a goal in their previous three matches – capitalised on growing anxiety after the break.

Hornets top scorer Odion Ighalo ended a run of 599 minutes without a goal with an opportunist strike before Adlene Guedioura hit a spectacular second after 63 minutes.

Substitute Danny Welbeck reduced the arrears with two minutes to play and then struck the post in a breathless finale, but Wenger’s men could not avoid a first FA Cup defeat since Blackburn Rovers left north London with a shock win in February 2013.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud had the ball in the net after nine minutes but he was marginally offside when collecting Alexis Sanchez’s throughball.

Nathan Ake made a vital challenge in the Watford area with Joel Campbell poised to open the scoring, although the hosts were struggling to make much of an impression in the Watford area.

Centre-back Gabriel was incredibly fortunate his rash, two-footed lunge on Troy Deeney went unpunished, while Elneny’s woeful 30th-minute hack over the Watford bar lacked such danger but was similarly unaccomplished.

Elneny endured another shocking miss following fine build-up play from Mesut Ozil and Campbell, and goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon’s yellow card for time-wasting at the subsequent goal-kick underlined Watford’s desire for the interval to arrive.

Giroud headed over from a left-wing corner as Arsenal resumed on the front foot but Ighalo stunned Emirates Stadium in the 50th minute.

Deeney flicked on Ake’s long throw at the near post and Ighalo rolled Gabriel to steer a shot beyond David Ospina on the turn.

The Watford strikers combined to similar effect two minutes later, with Gabriel again coming off second best as Ighalo shot over.

Arsenal were rattled and Ighalo showed some of the form behind his recent drought when he misjudged a lunging attempt in the 60th minute.

That wastefulness was almost punished as Pantilimon made a stunning reaction save to deny Giroud at his near post, but Watford grabbed the breathing space they required.

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Paris Saint-Germain defender Maxwell has hinted it may be he last season with the Ligue 1 champions as his current deal will expire at the end of the campaign.

The Brazilian has enjoyed five seasons as Les Parisiens’ first-choice left-back since his transfer from Barcelona in 2012, but concedes it may be time to move on, as he looks set to win the Ligue 1 title for the fourth consecutive season.

“It is maybe the moment to leave for a new adventure. I will enjoy up until the end of the season and then we will see what happens. I have not yet decided,” the 34-year old told Téléfoot.

After the midweek win over Chelsea, the French giants progressed to the quarter-finals on the Champions League for the fourth season in a row, a feat Maxwell is proud of, but he’s hopeful they can avoid Barca in the next round.

“We are happy to be the quarter finals [of the Champions League]. It is not appreciated like it should be in France.To get there four times in a row, that is not easy,” he said.

“We want to go all the way. Avoiding Barcelona in the next round? Yes because they have a lot of quality. If things go as they did against Chelsea, we will see if we can achieve something new.”

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The Frenchman let loose with a brilliant free-kick that gave David De Gea no chance, but his compatriot had one trick left up his sleeve to secure a vital draw.

A brilliant strike from Dimitri Payet put West Ham United on the brink of the FA Cup semi-finals, but Manchester United were saved by Anthony Martial’s late heroics to tie 1-1 at Old Trafford.
A moment of magic from Payet had West Ham seven minutes from a famous victory that would have sent them to Wembley, but Martial struck from close range to force a replay.

Playmaker Payet, who has wowed fans throughout his first season in England, had put West Ham in front with an incredible 30-yard free-kick earlier in a second half that also saw both teams have good claims for a penalty turned down.

Martial’s intervention means United are still in the FA Cup, a competition that represents their best chance of silverware as they sit behind West Ham in sixth position in the Premier League and are 2-0 down to Liverpool after the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

West Ham, meanwhile, will be still dreaming of the trophy if they can join Crystal Palace, Everton and Watford – who defeated holders Arsenal on Sunday – in the last four.

The visitors could have taken an early lead, but Emmanuel Emenike dragged his shot just wide after being played in by a hooked pass from Andy Carroll, who was brought into the team as one of three changes from Slaven Bilic.

Even though United were getting forward, it was the visitors who were creating the better chances, with Carroll’s thumping header from Aaron Cresswell’s cross only narrowly over.

Emenike then rose to divert another Cresswell delivery into the arms of David de Gea in what proved to be the only attempt on target in the first half, before Ander Herrera was off-target with a volley at the other end after Martial set him up from the left.

United were unhappy not to be awarded a penalty from referee Martin Atkinson when Martial found Herrera and the midfielder’s shot bounced off Winston Reid’s leg and arm as he slid to block just before the hour mark.

Darren Randolph then got out quickly to deny Marcus Rashford, before West Ham were denied what they thought should have been a spot-kick when Payet cruised past Marouane Fellaini and went down under pressure from Rojo, who appeared to be trying to pull out of the challenge but did make contact.

But Payet produced a moment of brilliance with 22 minutes remaining. After being fouled by Daley Blind around 30 yards from goal, he stepped up and delivered an astonishing, dipping free-kick that clipped the post on its way past De Gea.

The under-fire Van Gaal brought on Memphis Depay and Bastian Schweinsteiger in an attempt to find an equaliser and one arrived just as the hosts looked to be heading to defeat. Jesse Lingard played in Herrera down the right and he stood up an excellent cross to the far post, allowing Martial to hook home with his left foot.

Michael Carrick drilled an effort just wide as United threatened an unlikely comeback, while De Gea made a vital stoppage-time stop from Michail Antonio to ensure the two teams now have to do it all again at Upton Park.

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Brilliant Borussia Dortmund have one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League after sweeping aside Tottenham Hotspur with a 3-0 win in their last 16, first leg on Thursday (Mar 10).

Dortmund’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2nd L) scores the opening goal during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg football match between BVB Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the Bundesliga side ahead in the first half and Marco Reus netted twice in the second half at the Signal Iduna Park to leave Spurs with a mountain to climb in next week’s return in north London.

This was a clash between the second-placed team in Germany and the second-placed side in the Premier League, although Tottenham’s chances of competing evenly with their formidable opponents were not helped by coach Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to rotate his squad.

For his 100th game in charge, Pochettino made seven changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Arsenal last weekend as Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Erik Lamela and Mousa Dembele were left on the bench and Dele Alli was suspended.

Teenager Joshua Onomah was among those handed a start against a Dortmund side near full strength, although Ilkay Gundogan was missing with a foot injury.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are five points adrift of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, the same distance that separates Spurs from Leicester City at the top of the Premier League.

But Dortmund showed the greater desire to keep progressing in Europe, with Aubameyang following in to score after Hugo Lloris blocked a fine Henrikh Mkhitaryan volley early on only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.

However, the rapid Gabon international forward did get the breakthrough on the half-hour mark, rising above Ben Davies to head home a Marcel Schmelzer cross from the left.

Tottenham were simply never at the races, and Gonzalo Castro hit the post from a tight angle in the 51st minute after Aubameyang had lifted the ball over Lloris.

Dortmund struck again on the hour mark, substitute Neven Subotic heading on a Castro cross for Germany star Reus to lash home on the volley at the back post.

And they appeared to have the tie sewn up as Reus scored his second of the evening with 20 minutes remaining, stroking past Lloris from close range after superb build-up play involving Aubameyang and Castro.

Elsewhere, holders Sevilla drew 0-0 away to Basel in Switzerland and ended the game with 10 men following the late sending-off of midfielder Steven N’Zonzi.

Shakhtar Donetsk, UEFA Cup winners in 2009, are in a strong position after beating Anderlecht 3-1 in Ukraine.

Taison and Olexandr Kucher struck in the first period for Shakhtar and Eduardo added a third late on after Frank Acheampong pulled one back for the Belgians.

Fenerbahce have the edge against Portuguese side Braga following a 1-0 win in Istanbul given to them by a late Mehmet Topal goal.

Later, old foes Liverpool and Manchester United meet at Anfield in the first ever encounter of the clubs in European competition.

Athletic Bilbao and Valencia clash in an all-Spanish tie, while Villarreal host Bayer Leverkusen and Lazio visit the Czech capital to take on Sparta Prague.

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Arsene Wenger has told his Arsenal stars to show more consistency as the FA Cup holders try to get their spluttering season back on track in Sunday’s quarter-final against Watford.

Wenger’s side host the Hornets at a time when they are languishing eight points behind leaders Leicester in the Premier League and teetering on the brink of another tame Champions League exit.

On Wednesday, Arsenal must overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League against holders Barcelona in the Camp Nou to avoid crashing out of Europe’s elite club competition.

Most Gunners supporters would admit the FA Cup represents by far the most realistic chance of silverware after winning it for the last two seasons, but Wenger refuses to rule out a dramatic turn of fortunes both at home and abroad.

“I haven’t given up on the Premier League at all and I’ve said that many times, nor the Champions League,” Wenger said.

“We have to take care of the next minute and the next minute is an FA Cup game.

“Is it the best chance to win a trophy? It’s still far away. We must win the next game and prove that we can show consistency again.”

Losing Aaron Ramsey to injury for the rest of the campaign would be a major blow to any renewed challenge in the league, but Wenger remains adamant that his season is not at an end.

The Wales midfielder suffered a thigh injury in Tuesday’s 4-0 FA Cup fifth round replay win at Hull just 15 minutes after coming off the bench in the second half.

When asked whether Ramsey’s season was over Wenger insisted: “I dont believe that. At the moment his clinical signs are quite positive. I would say four weeks.

“It was a bit worse than I thought because I didn’t see it.

“Usually when a player gets injured with a muscle, he stops and I did not have that feeling of precaution so I thought he would be available for Sunday.”

Per Mertesacker and fellow centre-back Gabriel also suffered injuries against Hull at a time when Laurent Koscielny is already sidelined.

“Mertesacker came off injured but should be available,” Wenger added. “Koscielny is not far.

“Will I risk him or not? There is a little medical risk but I have not made a decision yet.

“Francis Coquelin is coming back from suspension and Hector Bellerin is now available.

“My gut feeling is that Gabriel will join in tomorrow and be available.”

Arsenal beat Watford 3-0 at Vicarage Road in October but the Hornets’ utility man Ikechi Anya believed his side were hard done by on that occasion.

“When we played them at home it was a false result, we were very much in the game,” he said.

“I think they had a 12-minute spell when they scored three times, and it makes you think it was a beating, but we had our chances before that.

“I’m sure with the strikers we’ve got, at the Emirates, hopefully they take their chances and we can attack them from the get go.

“We’re only one win away from Wembley, that’s a great incentive for us, and we?re all looking forward to it.

“We can go out and look to express ourselves, there’s no pressure on us, 9,000 fans are coming and we can try and make them proud.”

Source AFP