Ligue 1 Round-up: Mbappe shines as PSG honor Messi in Monaco win, Nice earn precious win at Rennes

Topics: Ligue 1, Lille, Angers, Paris Saint-Germain, Brest, Lyon, AS Monaco

Many micro talking points emerged once more in the French league with the competition almost at its half-way point.

This weekend's action in Ligue 1 handed Paris Saint-Germain yet another opportunity to stamp their dominance in their quest to win back the title once more. In Sunday night's meeting with AS Monaco, the former league champions wore a special gold-tinted kit to celebrate Lionel Messi's record-breaking seventh Ballon d'Or win. However, all eyes eventually turned to Kylian Mbappe who pratically run the show and ensured that the day was crowned with a befitting win. The 22-year-old Frenchman scored twice to reach a century of goals in his career for Les Parisians, joining Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani as the only three players to reach triple figures in goals scored for the club.

Elsewhere, Nice moved within a point of Stade Rennais on the chart when they beat them 2-1 in a thrilling encounter on Sunday. Marseille's 2-0 win at Strasbourg saw them demote the latter to third place while moving within 13 points of PSG with a game in hand. Neither of Lille and Lyon was able to potentially make the transitition from the middle of the table to the top half after holding themselves to a 0-0 draw at Stade Pierre Mauroy. Without further ado, let's take a look at how things are atop the French Ligue 1 table in the ongoing campaign:

Who are the top goalscorers in Ligue 1?

Ligue 1 - Top headlines

PSG: Sergio Ramos sends Real Madrid UCL warning after R16 draw - Sergio Ramos has stated that he will "die" for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 match against Real Madrid. When asked about his feelings after being drawn against his previous club in Europe, the Spanish centre-back made no excuses about his loyalties. The five-time Champions League winner has only appeared in one match for PSG this season due to long-term muscle ailments, but he hopes to be fit for the crucial two-legged showdown in the spring.

Saint-Étienne eyes Pascal Dupraz's appointment as new coach: Former Toulouse and Caen manager Pascal Dupraz is reportedly on the verge of becoming Saint-Étienne's new coach after Claude Puel was sacked last week following a 5-0 loss to Rennes. Having met the board of the club on Sunday, reports from France have indicated that they have settled on him after former Reims coach David Guion turned down Les Verts last week. Dupraz is said to have beaten the final man on the shortlist, Frédéric Hantz, after a vote.

Lyon agree terms with Zenit St Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun: Sardar Azmoun of Zenit St Petersburg has reportedly accepted personal terms with Lyon, but the French team will have to persuade the Russian club to release the Iranian attacker six months before his contract expires. The 26-year-old, who is said to be a top priority for manager Peter Bosz in the winter transfer window, was close to joining until his club was unable to find a suitable replacement in time. Les Gones have begun talks with the forward in preparation for a possible January transfer, and have reached an agreement with him.

Top matches to watch in Ligue 1 on December 22, 2021