PARIS: Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain played more than a half with 10 men but salvaged a goalless draw at the Stade de Reims on Saturday to continue their unbeaten streak this season.
Sergio Ramos picked up a direct red card as tempers flared just before half-time, but a reshuffled PSG managed to keep a clean sheet in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi.
They have 26 points from 10 games and are three points clear of Olympique de Marseille, who lost 2-1 at home to AC Ajaccio.
Reims is 14th with eight points.
The hosts played bravely but PSG had the best chance through Mbappe, who was thwarted by Yehvann Diouf from close range in the 33rd minute.
However, Ramos received a yellow card after arguing with referee Pierre Gaillouste, who returned to the Spaniard moments later and handed him a straight red card.
Coach Christophe Galtier replaced midfielder Carlos Soler with Neymar as PSG pushed for victory, but the visitors were short of ideas and had to settle for sharing the points in a memorable evening.
Earlier, Marseille’s second-place finish was in jeopardy on Saturday when they were outsmarted by newly promoted Ajaccio.
Dimitri Payet’s 100th league goal meant little in the end as Bevic Moussiti-Oko equalized and Leonardi Balerdi’s own goal quickly followed.
Third-placed Lorient will push them into second if they beat Brest, and fourth-placed RC Lens will also move up if they take all three points in the north derby in Lille on Sunday.
At the Stade Velodrome, Payet opened the scoring with a penalty in the 15th minute after a handball from Cedric Avinel.
Ten minutes later, however, Moussiti-Oko passed the Marseille defense and defeated Ruben Blanco with a left-footed shot.
The visitors took the lead two minutes into the second half when Balerdi deflected a Youssouf Kone cross into his own net, and Marseille’s only clear chance came in the 55th minute when Oumar Gonzalez almost scored an own goal too.