Rampant Paris clinch fourth straight Ligue 1 title

Paris Saint-Germain have secured their fourth successive Ligue 1 title with eight games to spare after Zlatan Ibrahimović notched four goals in a commanding 9-0 triumph at bottom-ranked Troyes.

Paris, who have won 24 of their 30 league games, ensured an insurmountable 25-point lead over second-placed Monaco to clinch the sixth French championship in their history and set a new Ligue 1 record in the process – Gérard Houllier's Lyon were crowned champions after 33 games in 2006/07.

Top scorer Ibrahimović shone once again for Laurent Blanc's men on Sunday, taking his tally for the championship season to 27 strikes in 24 games, and increasing his all-time Ligue 1 haul to 102 goals in just 115 outings.

Needing a win to reclaim their crown at this early stage, the Parisians raced into a three-goal lead inside 19 minutes as Edinson Cavani, Javier Pastore and Adrien Rabiot all struck in a dominant first-half display. Ibrahimović then hit a nine-minute hat-trick after the break, Matthieu Saunier scored an own goal, and Cavani added his second before the Sweden forward completed the rout late on.

"Bravo to everyone, but our season isn't finished yet," said Blanc afterwards, with his side now looking to repeat last season's domestic treble and also through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after overcoming Chelsea in the round of 16. "We'll celebrate, of course, but we still have challenges to come."

The former France defender also took time to praise Ibrahimović, who is out of contract at the end of the season. "That's how Ibra is – he wants to score and I hope he'll carry on," he said. "He always wants to win. He's a top-level player, but he's not the only one here. On that score we have great competitors. The team needs those players."