PARIS Saint-Germain won the French league title after beating defending champion Monaco 7-1 Sunday, with the crushing victory highlighting the obvious gulf between the two teams this season.

Monaco meekly surrendered the title that it had won so impressively last season, doing little to prolong the suspense. It was losing 4-0 after 28 minutes as PSG easily did enough for a fifth title in six seasons and a seventh overall. PSG leads second-place Monaco by 17 points with five rounds remaining.

Midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and winger Angel Di Maria scored two goals each, while league top scorer Edinson Cavani grabbed his 25th of the season.

PSG captain Thiago Silva’s header went in off Radamel Falcao for PSG’s sixth goal before Germany winger Julian Draxler netted the seventh. Monaco later tweeted that it will reimburse fans who traveled to the game for the cost of their tickets.

Monaco thrilled Europe last season with a scintillating brand of attacking soccer producing more than 150 goals and taking the side to the Champions League semifinals. It made a fortune selling its best players — including teen star Kylian Mbappe — to PSG for 180 million euros (then US$216 million) but appears to have paid the price on the field.

Now Monaco faces a scrap to hold onto second place and an automatic Champions League berth, with Lyon and Marseille just four points behind.

Lo Celso finished off a fine team move in the 14th minute, and Cavani headed powerfully home three minutes later at a jubilant Parc des Princes.

Cavani then turned provider, picking out Di Maria with a brilliant pass from the halfway line and he sprinted through before beating goalkeeper Danijel Subasic with a superb chip.

Lo Celso started and finished the move for the fourth, rising to meet Javier Pastore’s first-time cross from the left with a thumping header.

Midfielder Rony Lopes pulled one back for Monaco in the 38th. PSG completely relaxed and Pastore almost set up another goal — albeit for Lopes — with a careless pass back across his own penalty area. But goalkeeper Alphonse Areola saved his shot. (SD-Agencies)