Paris (AFP)

Paris SG took place against Dijon (4-0), like Rennes and Montpellier, Saturday on the eve of a burning derby between Lyon and Saint-Etienne, during a 27th day marked by precautions taken in the face of intensification of the epidemic caused by the new coronavirus.

Exit the handshakes between players, coaches and referees after the presentation of the teams, exit also the holding by the hand of the children accompanying the players on their entry on the lawn: the authorities of football carried out changes in the protocol surrounding weekend meetings, following recommendations made by the government on Saturday. France has reached the bar of 100 people affected by the new coronavirus since the end of January.

The holding of the hot OL-ASSE derby on Sunday (9:00 p.m.) between two teams currently far from their sporting goals, scheduled to be played in front of 60,000 spectators, is not however called into question, because "it is both outside zones of + clusters + and outside confined places "according to the Minister of Health Olivier Véran.

While waiting for Sunday's matches, notably Nantes-Lille (3:00 p.m.) and Bordeaux-Nice (5:00 p.m.), some matches have even had their mixed zone reserved for journalists removed or modified in its configuration, such as in Toulouse or Paris.

"There are more important things than football, it is not a surprise," insisted Parisian coach Thomas Tuchel, when asked about the subject.

- Monaco in the race -

This did not prevent his Parisians, carried by the double of Kylian Mbappé, new only top scorer in the championship (18 goals), to resume 13 points ahead of Marseille, victorious Friday in Nîmes (3-2) thanks to a Dario Benedetto's triplet.

PSG, eleven days from their eighth Champions League return against Dortmund, however, was frightened to see Argentina's Angel Di Maria come out injured after 17 minutes, but coach Thomas Tuchel was reassuring on the state of his wingman.

The evening was also successful for Rennes, which inflicted on the Toulouse red lantern its 20th defeat of the season in Ligue 1 (2-0). The Bretons, third, temporarily escaped four points before Lille, 4th.

Doubled by Mbappé in the scorer ranking, the Monegasque Wissam Ben Yedder reacted quickly against Reims. The French international scored from the penalty spot, but ASM conceded the draw despite a slew of chances late in the game (1-1).

The Monegasques continue their fifth game without defeat, still aiming for a qualification for a European Cup even if they lose a place (6th).

Montpellier indeed carried out the beautiful operation of the day by trotting a direct opponent for Europe, Strasbourg (3-0). The Montpellier, led by Téji Savanier, author of a double, grapple the field by returning three points from Lille and now leaving the Strasbourg two units.

It is much worse for Amiens, beaten at home by a direct competitor for maintenance, Metz (1-0). The Picards couldn't deal with Farid Boulaya's magnificent curling shot. Metz gets a breath of fresh air with a 15th place, nine points ahead of his evening opponent, who is still five points behind the roadblocker, Nîmes.

Finally, Brest fell at home for the second time in the season, against Angers (1-0).

© 2020 AFP