Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) celebrated Mbappe's 25th birthday in Ligue 1 with a 3-1 win over Metz, extending their lead in the standings to five points. Vitinha opened the scoring for PSG early in the second half before Mbappe doubled the score with a stunning shot that went into the net from the underside of the crossbar. Metz pulled the score back through a goal from Matthieu Udol, but Mbappe responded quickly and took advantage of a defensive error to score the second.
The icing on the cake was Mbappe's younger brother Ethan making his professional debut in stoppage time. With this victory, PSG finished the first half of the season with a comfortable five points ahead of second-placed Nice. Nice also claimed victory on Wednesday as Nigerian striker Terem Moffi scored twice in the final moments to help them beat Lens 2-0.
Monaco were close behind, with seven points behind PSG, as they came back from behind to win 2-1 against Toulouse, with two goals from Wissam Ben Yedder. Meanwhile, Lyon emerged from the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Nantes thanks to a goal from Alexandre Lacazette. The win marked Lyon's third in a row and showed that they have improved after a difficult start to the season. Overall, PSG's excellent performance, highlighted by Mbappe's birthday two goals and his brother's debut, cemented their lead in the standings as they entered the second half of the season.