Protests likely as PSG lose

EUROPEAN ROUND-UP

Paris St-Germain, who face Marseille in a French Cup semi-final tomorrow, caused a stir on Saturday by fielding almost a reserve team for their home League game against lowly Nice, writes Rupert Metcalf. The visitors' 3-2 win is likely to lead to protests from other relegation candidates. Nantes lead the table by 12 points after a 2-0 victory over Sochaux.

Milan, who beat PSG in the European Cup last week, won 3-2 at Parma in Italy's Serie A, thanks to two goals from Marco Simone and one from Gianluigi Lentini. Milan finished the match with 10 men after Franco Baresi's dismissal for handball. Parma's defeat means that Juventus retain their nine-point lead despite their 2-1 home loss to their city rivals, Torino, for whom Ruggiero Rizzitelli scored twice. Paulo Sousa, the Juventus play-maker, was sent off.

Ajax took the goalscoring honours at the weekend with a 7-0 thrashing of Willem II that maintained their five-point lead at the top of the Dutch League, The Finn, Jari Litmanen, hit two of the Ajax goals but he was outshone by PSV Eindhoven's Brazilian striker, Ronaldo, who struck a second-half hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Utrecht.