Gameiro treble sends PSG clear

Paris Saint-Germain FC restored their three-point lead in Ligue 1 after a Kevin Gameiro hat-trick powered them to a 3-1 success at promoted AC Ajaccio.

Saturday wins for high-flying Montpellier Hérault SC and Olympique Lyonnais put the onus on PSG to respond, and they made the best of starts as Gameiro scored with less than two minutes gone, turning the ball in after Sylvain Armand had flicked on a Nenê corner. Carl Medjani levelled for Ajaccio midway through the half, but Gameiro settled the encounter with a pair of strikes shortly after the break, collecting Mohamed Sissoko's pass to add his second before a close-range finish completed his hat-trick.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Valenciennes FC lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with their second win of the campaign, Vincent Aboubakar notching twice in a 3-0 home defeat of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. Stade Rennais FC moved up to fifth in the late game as they downed FC Lorient 2-0 in the Brittany derby, Jires Kembo-Ekoko on target after ten minutes and Jonathan Pitroipa adding a 63rd-minute penalty.