PSG CRUISE TO KEEP IN TOUCH AT TOP

Edinson Cavani scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain kept the pressure on AS Monaco at the top of Ligue 1 with a 5-0 rout of bottom side SC Bastia on Saturday.

 Paris Saint-Germain  5 - 0  SC Bastia 

THE MATCH

After the crushing blow of their defeat in Nice last time out that was a hammer blow to their prospects of winning a fifth consecutive title, PSG needed a boost as they welcomed the struggling Corsicans to the capital.

And the result was never really in doubt, even if it took them 32 minutes to get the opening goal. Jean-Louis Leca saved from Thomas Meunier's early header and Lucas Moura, standing in for the suspended, Ángel di María, cracked a rasping drive against the angle of bar and post. The Brazilian then got the breakthrough, applying an easy finish to a Blaise Matuidi assist.

His 10th goal of the season set Paris on their way and soon after they had doubled their lead. Leca was caught out tending to Matuidi, who had gone down inside the box, when the hosts quickly took a throw and Marco Verratti fired into the roof of the net from the edge of the area for his first league goal since November (35').

Bastia, wearing a black kit to mark the 25th anniversary of the Furiani stadium tragedy, were left with too much to do and they collapsed in the final 20 minutes as PSG pushed for more goals.

Cavani had two efforts disallowed before he made it 3-0. Julian Draxler's delightful clipped ball released Gonçalo Guedes and the substitute squared for the Uruguayan to roll the ball into an empty net (76').

Shortly after that, Cavani won a penalty when he was brought down in the box by Alexander Djiku, but his attempt from 12 yards was superbly saved by Leca (80'). Nevertheless, on came Giovani Lo Celso to light up the closing stages, setting up Marquinhos to make it 4-0 on 82 minutes and then sending a volley against the bar.

Paris were not finished though, and Cavani took advantage of slack play at the back from the visitors to poke in his second of the day with a minute left as Unai Emery's side claimed a sixth straight home win in all competitions. They remain hot on the heels of Monaco, while Bastia have just two games left to save their top-flight status.

THE PLAYER: Edinson Cavani

It took until the final 20 minutes for Cavani to come to the fore in this game. After having one goal ruled out for offside and another for a handball by Matuidi in the build-up, the Uruguayan bagged a brace and missed a penalty that he had won. That is 33 league goals for the season now for Cavani, and 47 in 47 games in all competitions. No wonder PSG were delighted to tie him down to a new deal until 2020 recently.

THE STAT: 29

That is now 29 times that Bastia have visited PSG without winning in the top flight. This was always going to be a big ask for them as they seek vital points in their battle to beat the drop. They have Lorient and Marseille in their final two matches as they attempt to pull off a great escape.