Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice from the penalty spot on his way to a hat-trick to hand Paris Saint-Germain a 3-1 win over Lorient at Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 this evening.
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It took the home side less than four minutes to break the deadlock as Ibrahimovic was tripped when Benjamin Lecomte came out from between the posts, allowing the striker to fire the ball in from the penalty spot.
Didier Ndong could have got Lorient back on level terms just a few minutes later as Walid Mesloub played a through-ball in for him, but his 20-yard strike was saved on the line.
PSG looked the more likely for the majority of the first half, but Lecomte made amends for conceding the early penalty by pulling off saves to deny Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
The defending French champions tried to double their advantage shortly after the restart when Edinson Cavani tried to find Maxwell, but the defender drifted offside.
The visitors continued to look for a way back from outside the box as they struggled to get the ball into the PSG penalty area, but Lamine Kone saw his effort cleared by Thiago Silva.
PSG kept creating chances, but they were unable to build on their lead, with Cavani rifling the ball wide from a free kick after Ibrahimovic had been brought down.
The missed opportunities proved costly when Lorient got back on level terms with just over 20 minutes to play as Benjamin Jeannot set Jordan Ayew up to fire the ball in low from 20 yards out.
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PSG pushed hard as the final 10 minutes approached, looking to re-establish their lead, but Cavani nodded the ball just wide from a Thiago Motta corner.
However, the home side did edge back in front as Kone brought down Javier Pastore in the box to give PSG their second spot kick of the game, and the outcome was the same as the first, with Ibrahimovic firing it down the middle.
Adrien Rabiot had a chance to put the win beyond doubt late on when he tried to smash the ball in from close range after Marco Verratti curled it in, but the keeper was ready to claim it.
PSG managed to find a third in stoppage time as Ibrahimovic controlled a pass in from Verratti before smashing the ball into the top left corner, completing his hat-trick.
The result lifts PSG back above Lyon to the top of the table, while Lorient stay 16th, five point clear of the relegation zone.
Sian Cowper
