PSG Stays Perfect and Clinical Marseille Beats Unlucky Nice in French League

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (L) celebrates scoring PSG's first goal with Paris Saint-Germain's Slovak defender #37 Milan Skriniar (R) during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) at The Parc des Princes Stadium, in Paris, on September 14, 2024. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (L) celebrates scoring PSG's first goal with Paris Saint-Germain's Slovak defender #37 Milan Skriniar (R) during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) at The Parc des Princes Stadium, in Paris, on September 14, 2024. (AFP)
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PSG Stays Perfect and Clinical Marseille Beats Unlucky Nice in French League

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (L) celebrates scoring PSG's first goal with Paris Saint-Germain's Slovak defender #37 Milan Skriniar (R) during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) at The Parc des Princes Stadium, in Paris, on September 14, 2024. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (L) celebrates scoring PSG's first goal with Paris Saint-Germain's Slovak defender #37 Milan Skriniar (R) during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) at The Parc des Princes Stadium, in Paris, on September 14, 2024. (AFP)

Ousmane Dembele scored twice and Paris Saint-Germain remained perfect and prolific in the French league after beating Brest 3-1 on Saturday.

PSG stayed in command at the top of the standings with a fourth win in as many games.

Luis Enrique's team has coped with the departure of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid and has 16 goals so far.

Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot managed to keep PSG at bay until Dembele leveled the score three minutes before the interval. Romain Del Castillo put Brest ahead from the penalty spot at the Parc des Princes.

PSG then killed any remaining suspense in the space of 80 seconds when Fabian Ruiz scored in the 73rd with a powerful strike and Dembele completed his brace in the next minute.

Despite the millions of euros invested to build a competitive team since a 2011 takeover by Qatari investors, PSG is still chasing an elusive Champions League title. It will host Girona on Wednesday in Europe's top club competition.

Brest, which also qualified for the tournament with a third-place finish last season, plays Sturm Graz on Thursday.

Maupay scores in first Marseille start New Marseille striker Neal Maupay scored against his former club in a 2-0 win over Nice, which hit the woodwork three times.

On a day when Marseille celebrated its 125th anniversary, Maupay was handed his first start by coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Marseille had just five shots on target and scored twice to remain unbeaten, just two points behind PSG.

Maupay joined from English Premier League club Everton on a season loan with an obligation to buy. He was trained at Nice then went on to play 160 Premier League matches with various sides.

Maupay made up for Marseille’s inadequacies in the first half by converting a rare chance in the 40th minute. He headed the ball home past Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka after a cross from Luis Henrique in the penalty area took a deflection.

Marseille enjoyed most of the possession but Nice was the most dangerous side in the first half and Maupay’s opener came after Melvin Bard volleyed onto the left post.

Nice hit the posts two more times after the interval.

Luis Henrique turned provider early in the second half with a beautiful curled shot into the top left corner after a one-two with Amine Harit on the edge of the box.

Marseille finished the match with 10 men after center back Derek Cornelius took too much time over a free kick and received a second yellow card. Nice camped in Marseille's half in the last 10 minutes but good efforts from Marseille goalie Geronimo Rulli coupled with hard luck kept the visitors at bay.

Monaco stays unbeaten Monaco was a class above Auxerre and secured a deserved 3-0 away win with goals from Thilo Kehrer, Vanderson and Denis Zakaria.

The result moved the Principality side level on points with Marseille ahead of next week's Champions League tie with Barcelona.

Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Leon made a costly mistake after just eight minutes when he fumbled the ball from Kehrer's header and let it in. Auxerre was then forced to take risks and was punished on the counter.

Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria was excellent, with one goal and one superb lofted assist for Vanderson.



Gadecki Continues Impressive Run in Guadalajara, Reaches her 1st WTA Semifinal

Olivia Gadecki of Australia in action against Martina Trevisan of Italy during their quarter finals match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 13 September 2024.  EPA/Francisco Guasco
Olivia Gadecki of Australia in action against Martina Trevisan of Italy during their quarter finals match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 13 September 2024. EPA/Francisco Guasco
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Gadecki Continues Impressive Run in Guadalajara, Reaches her 1st WTA Semifinal

Olivia Gadecki of Australia in action against Martina Trevisan of Italy during their quarter finals match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 13 September 2024.  EPA/Francisco Guasco
Olivia Gadecki of Australia in action against Martina Trevisan of Italy during their quarter finals match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 13 September 2024. EPA/Francisco Guasco

Olivia Gadecki continued her impressive run in Mexico on Friday by advancing to the Guadalajara Open semifinals after beating Martina Trevisan 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
The 22-year-old Australian qualifier, who is ranked 152nd, converted eight of 10 break-point chances to beat Trevisan, who was a Roland Garros semifinalist in 2022, and reach a WTA semifinal for the first time, The Associated Press reported.
Gadecki arrived in Mexico with just two wins over top-100 players but she has recorded three this week, including a second-round win over world No. 11 Danielle Collins.
“There’s a lot of things I’m proud of this week,” Gadecki said.
In the semifinals, Gadecki will play Camila Osorio, who defeated Kamilla Rakhimova, 7-6 (6), 6-1.
In the other semifinal, fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia will face fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Marina Stakusic.
Garcia advanced earlier in a walkover after Marie Bouzkova withdrew due to an illness.
The tournament is being played on hard courts at the Complejo Panamericano de Tenis in Guadalajara.