PSG bounces back to league form by crushing Evian

Paris Saint Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic leads the league with 14 goals.

Jacques Brinon/AP/AP

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one goal and made another as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed struggling Evian 4-0 to move into provisional second place in the French league on Saturday.

PSG had dropped down to fourth after three losses in its past five league games - including two at home - but Ibrahimovic settled the nerves in the 28th minute with his league-leading 14th goal of the season.

Three minutes later, the imposing Swede expertly chested the ball down for Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi to make it 2-0.

Midfielder Thiago Motta and striker Kevin Gameiro added two late tap-ins to make the score more emphatic.

"It was a good game, a good performance from the team,'' PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "It was an important game for us.''

PSG restored morale by beating Porto 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, and Ancelott was confident things were back on track after another win at Parc des Princes.

"I wanted us to show the same attitude we showed against Porto,'' Ancelotti said. "The team played with a good team spirit, especially the forwards, who worked hard defensively. I think that was the key to the match.''

PSG is two points behind leader Lyon, which has a tough trip to bitter rival Saint-Etienne on Sunday. Marseille, which has a game in hand, needs only a draw at home to Lorient on Sunday to move ahead of PSG and into second place.

In other matches, it was: Montpellier 3, Ajaccio 0; Nancy 1, Valenciennes 1; Rennes 2, Brest 2; Sochaux 1, Lille 1, and Troyes 1, Nice 1.

Sixth-place Rennes missed the chance to pressure the top four teams.

Winger Julien Feret and midfielder Romain Alessandrini put Rennes 2-0 ahead in the second half, but goals from midfielder Benoit Lesoimier and Dutch striker Charlison Benschop in the last 20 minutes helped Brest scrape a draw.

Draw specialists Nice earned a point at relegation battlers Troyes to move up to ninth place, thanks to Argentine striker Dario Cvitanich's injury-time goal - his seventh in the league this season.

Nolan Roux put mid-table Lille ahead in the 63rd, but the visitors' lead lasted only two minutes before Tunisia midfielder Yassin Mikari equalized for Sochaux with his first goal of the season.

Montpellier climbed up to 12th place thanks to goals from striker John Utaka, winger Remy Cabella and midfielder Younes Belhanda.

Meanwhile, Nancy is in last place with just nine points from 16 games.

In Sunday's other game, seventh-place Bordeaux travels to play struggling Reims.