PSG win 13th French title ahead of Aston Villa Champions League clash

Paris: Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.

PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left. Desire Doue´s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG´s favour, allowing Luis Enrique´s team to take the title with six matches still to play.

It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, highlighting the extent to which they have dominated domestically since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.

“Our ambition is to win everything,” said captain Marquinhos, who has now won 10 titles since joining the club in 2013, to broadcaster beIN Sports. “It is a nice feeling. It is the reward for the work we have put in throughout the season, for our consistency, and the team deserves it,” added the Brazilian centre-back, who will be suspended for the first leg against Villa.

PSG´s overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981. Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.

The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.

However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honour of the Parc des Princes pitch. The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15. However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others.