Mbappe brace moves PSG to brink of Ligue 1 title
Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain closed in on the Ligue 1 title with a close-fought 2-1 win over Auxerre.
The France captain struck a brace inside the opening eight minutes at Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, who responded through Lassine Sinayoko in the second half.
Reigning champions PSG subsequently regain their six-point cushion at the Ligue 1 summit, and require just one point from their final two games to successfully defend their crown.
Meanwhile, 16th-place Auxerre remains just a point above the relegation zone after suffering its first defeat in eight home matches.
Mbappe broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, latching onto Fabian Ruiz’s pass and exquisitely twisting and turning away from his marker before poking a shot into the top corner.
The France captain doubled his side’s advantage two minutes later, bending in a brilliant first-time effort from 20 yards after Hugo Ekitike neatly dummied Lionel Messi's pass.
Messi also went close for the visitors when he shot straight at Ionut Radu, but it was not all one-way traffic as the hosts threatened through Rayan Raveloson, who rattled the crossbar from 25 yards out.
Auxerre pulled a goal back seven minutes after the restart. Nuno da Costa flicked Radu's long goal kick into the path of Sinayoko, who raced away from the defence before drilling past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Mbappe looked to have found his hat-trick late in injury time, only for VAR to overrule his finish, but PSG side clung on regardless to move closer to another triumph.
