PSG win again to retain lead over second-placed Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain have retained their six-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-0 home win over Toulouse.

The defending champions dominated the first half but it took until the 35th minute to open the scoring.

Young Portuguese midfielder João Neves spun to meet a cross from the right and struck a superb half volley from just outside the box.

Lucas Beraldo got a second with six minutes remaining when he pounced on a loose ball and fired home.

Vitinha made it 3-0 in stoppage time when he showed fine footwork inside the box to finish off a quick counterattack.

The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, who came into the game in a more even second half.

Only Vitinha's last-gasp tackle stopped Zakaria Aboukhlal from equalising after 69 minutes and then Shavy Babicka blazed over from close range a minute later when he should have hit the target.

The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique's side ahead of next Tuesday's Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich.

PSG lie in 25th place in the 36-team Champions League table with one win in four matches and outside the playoff spots.

The win came immediately after second-placed Monaco beat Brest 3-2 to briefly close the gap at the top to three points.

Brest, who meet Barcelona next week in the Champions League, turned in another inconsistent French league performance and struggled to show the sparkling form they have produced in Europe.

Brest have struggled in Ligue 1, where they remain 12th, but thrive with three wins from four in their first ever Champions League campaign.

They were behind after just five minutes on Friday when Maghnes Akliouche scored with a superb airborne volley, and 2-0 down after 24 minutes after Aleksandr Golovin scored.

The Russian striker seized on a poor pass just outside the Brest penalty area and his low shot was perfectly placed, sneaking in off the post to give him his first goal in nine league appearances.

On-loan Brighton striker Abdallah Sima used his 1.88-metre frame to outjump the Monaco defence four minutes into the second half and cut the deficit, but Akliouche restored Monaco's two-goal cushion when he brilliantly finished a quick counterattack in stoppage time.

Ludovic Ajorque got a second for Brest in the sixth minute of added time but it was not enough in a second half most notable for the red card shown to Brest coach Éric Roy.