PARIS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Depleted Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0 at Metz on Friday in another Ligue 1 game interrupted by fan banners, setting pace in the Ligue 1 with nine points after four rounds.
Angel Di Maria and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored the goals the visitors needed to win an undistinguished game.
PSG went ahead 1-0 after Di Maria converted a penalty on 20th minutes, then home fans unfurled a four-part, 25-word home-made, hand-written banner, which complained that they wanted the French league (LFP) to allow them to aim homophobic chants at PSG.
"LFP, PSG, let me sing to you, to make you go to...," read the first two lines. The last two continued: "I won't be on TV, because my words are not very cheerful."
Referee Frank Schneider halted play, but as the teams headed for the sideline, the banner vanished. The game restarted after three minutes with a drop ball.
PSG started without the injured pair of Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani. Neymar, who reportedly wants to return to Spain, was again left out of the squad, and another player who has become the center of transfer speculation, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, dropped to the bench.
Areola, a France international, is reportedly set to go to Real Madrid in a swap for veteran Costa Rican Keylor Navas.
