PSG Win 13th French Title Ahead of Aston Villa Champions League Clash

PSG's supporters celebrate winning the French League One championship title after the soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Angers at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
PSG's supporters celebrate winning the French League One championship title after the soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Angers at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
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PSG Win 13th French Title Ahead of Aston Villa Champions League Clash

PSG's supporters celebrate winning the French League One championship title after the soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Angers at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
PSG's supporters celebrate winning the French League One championship title after the soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Angers at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.

PSG needed just a draw at home to their struggling opponents to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left.

Desire Doue's strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG's favor, allowing Luis Enrique's team to take the title with six matches still to play.

It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons.

Their overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981.

Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.

The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.

However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honor of the Parc des Princes pitch.

The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15.

However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others, AFP reported.

They remain undefeated after 28 matches, with 23 wins and just five draws, and are on course to become the first team to complete a Ligue 1 campaign without losing a game.

The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 games before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.

That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.

They will not play again in Ligue 1 until a home meeting with struggling Le Havre on April 19, with next week's trip to Nantes postponed to April 22 in order to allow PSG to recover in between the two legs of their tie against Villa.

Ousmane Dembele, PSG's top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions this season, was rested at kick-off against Angers, having netted twice in the 4-2 midweek win over second-tier Dunkerque in the semi-finals of the French Cup.

Bradley Barcola, the team's second-top marksman on 18 goals, was also left out of the starting line-up and it was far from a vintage performance by the home side.

They were perhaps fortunate early on when Angers forward Esteban Lepaul ran through on goal before being outmuscled by Willian Pacho, the challenge a fair one in the eyes of the referee.

Doue was on hand to convert from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his 11th goal in all competitions since signing from Rennes at the start of the season.

That proved enough for PSG to win the game and take the title, maintaining Luis Enrique's record of having won every domestic trophy since he took over prior to last season.

Monaco are in action later away to Brest, while Lyon host Lille in Saturday's other Ligue 1 game, a key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.



Sputtering Arsenal Face Test of Character in Sporting Clash

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
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Sputtering Arsenal Face Test of Character in Sporting Clash

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 4, 2026. (AFP)

Mikel Arteta has urged shell-shocked Arsenal to embrace a major test of their character as they seek to recover from a pair of devastating defeats in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final at Sporting Lisbon.

Arteta's side suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at second tier Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, a fortnight after losing 2-0 to Manchester City in the League Cup final.

The Gunners had been chasing an unprecedented quadruple until their domestic cup dreams were demolished in painful fashion.

The chastening loss to Southampton was only Arsenal's fifth defeat this season and marked the first time they have been beaten in successive games in this campaign.

Arsenal's slump has plunged the club's long-suffering fans into a bout of soul-searching.

The north Londoners haven't won a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup and three consecutive runners-up finishes in the Premier League have raised doubts about their ability to finally land silverware.

Arteta is convinced Arsenal can handle the mounting pressure of bidding to win the Champions League for the first time, while aiming to finally lift the Premier League trophy after a 22-year wait.

"In the season, you always have moments, normally two or three. This is the first moment that we have with a certain level of difficulty," Arteta said.

"We're going to say difficulty when we're going to play the Champions League quarter-finals and the run-up for the league.

"If this is a difficult period, I believe there are many other ones that are much more difficult, so let's stand up, make yourself comfortable and deliver like we've been doing all season."

- 'Beautiful period' -

Arteta knows Arsenal are in a strong position in both competitions, travelling to Lisbon as favorites to dispatch Sporting and holding a nine-point lead over second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League.

"I love my players. What they have done for nine months, I'm not going to criticize them because we lost a game in the manner that they are putting their bodies through everything," Arteta said.

"I'm going to defend them more than ever. Someone has to take responsibility. That's me and we have the most beautiful period of the season ahead of us."

Arsenal will also take heart from their 5-1 rout of Sporting in the Champions League group stage last season, when their Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres was playing for the Portuguese club.

Gyokeres endured a difficult start to his first season with Arsenal following his move to the Emirates Stadium last year.

But he has emerged as an influential presence in recent weeks, scoring their equalizer against Southampton and netting twice in the north London derby win at Tottenham.

Gyokeres also bagged Sweden's late play-off winner against Poland to book their place at the World Cup.

But Arsenal's double bid is in danger of being derailed by injuries, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka is a race to be fit to face Sporting after missing the Southampton game and England's recent friendlies.

Gabriel Magalhaes is also a doubt after the center-back was forced off with a knee injury against Southampton.

Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard struck an upbeat note in the face of adversity.

"The message is to have a positive body language, to talk with your team-mates, with the coaching staff. Now is not the time to go with our heads down for too long," Norgaard said.

"It's fine to be frustrated and also to analyze what went wrong, but then we also have to look forward because there are so many big games coming up for this club."


Alcaraz Ready to Get His Socks Dirty with Return to Clay

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz poses for a selfie with a fan after his training session held at Murcia Royal Tennis Club 1919 in Murcia, Spain on 31 March 2026. (EPA)
Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz poses for a selfie with a fan after his training session held at Murcia Royal Tennis Club 1919 in Murcia, Spain on 31 March 2026. (EPA)
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Alcaraz Ready to Get His Socks Dirty with Return to Clay

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz poses for a selfie with a fan after his training session held at Murcia Royal Tennis Club 1919 in Murcia, Spain on 31 March 2026. (EPA)
Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz poses for a selfie with a fan after his training session held at Murcia Royal Tennis Club 1919 in Murcia, Spain on 31 March 2026. (EPA)

Carlos Alcaraz said he ‌was eager to get his socks dirty on clay again as the world number one returned to his preferred surface in Monaco this week to build momentum for his French Open title defense.

Alcaraz won his fifth Grand Slam title by beating Jannik Sinner in an epic final at Roland Garros last June, adding to his 2025 clay court triumphs in Monte Carlo and Rome and a runner-up finish in ‌Barcelona.

"This is probably ‌one of the best times ‌of ⁠the season for me," ⁠Alcaraz told reporters in Monaco on Sunday.

"I miss clay every time the clay season is over. It's been a long time since Roland Garros that I haven't touched clay. In my first practices, I said to my team that it's time to ⁠get the socks dirty again. It feels ‌amazing to be back ‌on clay."

Alcaraz, who missed last year's Madrid Open due to ‌injury, hoped to play a full schedule before ‌Roland Garros, where the main draw begins on May 24.

"Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome ... that's the plan," said the 22-year-old.

"It's very demanding physically and mentally. The week in ‌Barcelona is perhaps when I should rest, but Barcelona is a very important tournament ⁠for ⁠me.

"My plan is to take care of my body as much as possible during matches and tournaments."

The seven-times Grand Slam champion said winning the Monte Carlo title proved to be a turning point last season.

"After the feeling that I got here, I just got better and better," he added.

"I understood and I realized how I should play after this week. That's why I did an exceptional year."

Alcaraz will open his campaign against either Stan Wawrinka or Sebastian Baez in the second round.


Jodar Continues Spain's Teenage Tradition with ATP Title in Morocco

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 22: Rafael Jodar of Spain returns a shot against Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina during Day 6 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rich Storry/Getty Images/AFP
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 22: Rafael Jodar of Spain returns a shot against Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina during Day 6 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rich Storry/Getty Images/AFP
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Jodar Continues Spain's Teenage Tradition with ATP Title in Morocco

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 22: Rafael Jodar of Spain returns a shot against Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina during Day 6 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rich Storry/Getty Images/AFP
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 22: Rafael Jodar of Spain returns a shot against Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina during Day 6 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rich Storry/Getty Images/AFP

Rafael Jodar joined the list of title-winning Spanish teenagers with his victory at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco on Sunday and the 19-year-old said having the right mentality was the key to success in his first ATP tournament on clay.

Jodar's 6-3 6-2 win over Marco Trungelliti put him into an elite group of Spaniards who captured ATP titles as teenagers in the professional era, including Rafa Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo.

Ranked outside the top 900 a year ago, Jodar climbed to ⁠a career-high world ⁠number 57 on Monday.

"It was the first tournament on clay for me so it was going to be difficult at the beginning, but I always have the mentality that I have to give my best tennis and what I have in that match," Jodar told the ATP ⁠website, according to Reuters.

"That's what I did in all the matches, so it means a lot to win my first ATP title in Marrakech."

Jodar said he was trying to follow in the footsteps of his idol, 22-times Grand Slam champion Nadal, but he did not set himself targets for the year.

"I never set a goal in the season. Just to try to give my best and improve my tennis level," he added.

"But overall, I think I did a great ⁠week on ⁠clay here in Morocco, so I'm very happy how the week went for me and I will try to make sure this is just the beginning. It has to give me motivation for the next challenges."

Argentina's Trungelliti was left impressed by Jodar after a 69-minute mauling.

"Today, I guess I got kicked by this young man," said the 36-year-old, the oldest first-time tour-level finalist in the professional era.

"It was sad for me because I was expecting a great final, but at least you saw a great final from one side."