PSG returns to top of Ligue 1 after win at Auxerre

Bradley Barcola scored his second goal in two games to give Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) a late win over lowly Auxerre and return to the top of Ligue 1. Barcola rescued PSG when, with the match heading to a 0-0 draw, he finished a counterattack in the 79th minute and squeezed the ball over the advancing goalkeeper. Until then, second-to-last Auxerre had frustrated second-from-top PSG without threatening to score.

Auxerre did not have a shot on target all night at Stade de L’Abbe-Deschamps. Barcola’s sixth goal of the season capped a fine performance, although the winger will rue missed chances that could have secured the three points earlier. The result took PSG two points ahead of surprise pace-setter Lens, which faces a difficult tie at third-placed Marseille on Saturday.