PARIS — Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke Paris St Germain’s league scoring record with two goals as the French champion continued to streak away from its Ligue 1 rivals with a 3-0 win at 10-man Nice Friday.
Victory moved the champion to 45 points from 17 games, a massive 16 points ahead of second-placed Caen which hosts Lille Saturday. Nice is fifth on 25 points.
Edinson Cavani opened the scoring in the 35th minute from Ibrahimovic’s cross before the Sweden striker doubled the tally on the stroke of halftime from the penalty spot following the sending off of Niklas Hult.
Ibrahimovic made it 3-0 after the break with his 12th league goal of the season, taking him to 86 league goals for the club to surpass record-holder Mustapha Dahleb who scored 85.
Three days after PSG was held to a 0-0 draw by promoted Angers, normal service resumed for the capital side which crushed Nice seemingly effortlessly at the Allianz Riviera.
After a fine one-two with Blaise Matuidi, Ibrahimovic set up Cavani, who beat Yoan Cardinale from close range.
In the 42nd minute Hult brought down Ibrahimovic in the box and PSG’s talisman striker converted the spot kick.
Hatem Ben Arfa, who has had an impressive start to the season at Nice, was kept at bay by a solid PSG defense.
Shortly after the hour, Ibrahimovic put the result beyond doubt with a low angled cross shot.
Juventus blanks Lazio
Paulo Dybala scored a stunning goal as well as setting up the opener to propel Juventus to a 2-0 win at Lazio Friday as Massimiliano Allegri’s team continues to push its way up the Serie A table.
Dybala had forced Lazio defender Santiago Gentiletti into an early own goal before coming up with a moment of magic shortly after the half hour.
The Argentine controlled Mario Mandzukic’s pass, flicked it up and volleyed it into the bottom corner.
Dybala has played a part in 10 of Juventus’ goals this season — scoring seven and assisting a further three.
It was Juventus’ fifth successive league win and moved the four-time defending champion level on points with fourth-placed Roma as it recovers from a woeful start to the season.
Roma visits Torino Saturday.
Lazio fell to its fifth defeat in six matches.
Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon marked his 400th Serie A appearance with his third successive clean sheet. Juventus has let in just two goals in its five-match winning run.
South Africa is semis
A late Menzi Masuku goal gave South Africa a 1-0 win over Tunisia Friday in Senegalese city M’Bour and an African 2016 Olympic Games qualifying tournament semifinals place.
Senegal won the other Group A match 1-0 against Zambia in Dakar through an early Mouhamadou ‘Habib’ Diallo goal to finish with a perfect three-victory record and nine points.
South Africa came second with six points, Tunisia third with three and Zambia lost all three games to exit the competition pointless.
Senegal faces the Group B runner-up in the first semifinal of a Dakar double-header next Wednesday followed by South Africa against the Group B winner. — Agencies
