Brest is soaring in Champions League but stumbling in Ligue 1

BREST, France (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain’s ‘Dream Bigger’ motto is better suited to its French league rival Brest on Europe's biggest stage.

With one of the smallest budgets in Ligue 1, the attacking-minded Brittany side is flying high in the revamped Champions League after qualifying for a continental tournament for the first time.

Despite a plethora of injuries, Brest boosted its chances of finishing in the top eight of the elite competition by beating PSV 1-0 midweek. With two matches left to play, Brest stands seventh, level on points with five other teams including Arsenal.

PSG, meanwhile, lags in 25th place, facing full elimination.

It’s a remarkable achievement for Brest, whose 15,000-capacity stadium in northwestern France, compares to PSG’s nearly 49,000 at the Parc des Princes, while PSG’s estimated annual budget is 860 million euros ($900 million) compared to Brest’s 48 million euros.

“This is a real exploit for a club like ours,” Brest manager Eric Roy said after watching a series of decisive saves by Marco Bizot and Julien Le Cardinal's winning goal against PSV. "The players gave everything. This has been a really great evening that will go down in the history of the club.”

Because Brest’s stadium does not meet UEFA’s requirements, the club’s European home games are played at Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou — 114 kilometers (71 miles) away.

With a qualification for the knockout stage now looming, Brest, which will play its final game in the league phase against Real Madrid at its temporary home, is reportedly looking at an ever bigger option for future games.

According to L'Equipe newspaper, Brest has made contact with the Stade de France to check whether it could use the arena in Paris, with a capacity of more than 80,000 during the knockout phase.

Last season, Brest secured the final automatic berth for French clubs in the Champions League with a third-place finish. The club’s results on the domestic scene have not been as good this season, with Brest in 11th place ahead of Sunday's game against Nantes.

The Champions League is taking a big toll on Brest, however, and injuries have been piling up in recent weeks. Veteran midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou, who is out until next year, was among the seven players missing against PSV, and the squad will again be depleted when facing Nantes.

With the accumulation of matches, Roy tried to rotate his players as much as he could, but with the absentees piling up he does not have many options left.

“Over time, we can’t compete at the highest level if we have too many injuries,” Roy said after the win over PSV. “We hardly have any players left. Those who played tonight are going to have to start again on Sunday. We’ve got no choice.”

The coach said that Senegalese defender Abdoulaye Ndiaye was at the receiving end of a tackle that left him with a cut on a foot early in the match against PSV. But he soldiered on and the injury required seven stitches at halftime. “He gritted his teeth,” Roy said.

In other Ligue 1 matches this weekend, leader PSG takes on in-form Lyon while second-place Marseille hosts Lille. Monaco travels to Reims.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Brest's goalkeeper Marco Bizot claps hands after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Brest and PSV Eindhoven in Roudourou stadium, Guingamp, France, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. Brest won 1-0.(AP Photo/Mathieu Pattier)

Brest's Romain Del Castillo, celebrates after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Brest and PSV Eindhoven in Roudourou stadium, Guingamp, France, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. Brest won 1-0.(AP Photo/Mathieu Pattier)

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish prosecutors on Thursday dropped a rape investigation that was launched in connection with soccer star Kylian Mbappé's visit to Stockholm in October.

In a statement, lead investigator Marina Chirakova said there was not enough evidence to continue the investigation into the allegation at a hotel.

“During the course of the investigation, there has been a designated person suspected on reasonable grounds of rape and two cases of sexual assault, but my assessment is that the evidence is not sufficient to proceed and the investigation is therefore closed," Chirakova said. “The designated person has not been notified of suspicion of a crime.”

Prosecutors never publicly named the suspect in the investigation, but many Swedish media reported it was Real Madrid striker Mbappé, who visited Stockholm in October during a break in the Spanish league.

At the time Mbappé’s legal team dismissed those reports as false.

Mbappe’s lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard and the player’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

In an interview that aired Sunday on French TV station Canal Plus, Mbappé said he was “surprised” by the reports that he was the subject of a rape investigation and he had not been contacted by Swedish authorities.

“These are things that come into your life like that, you can’t see them coming,” Mbappé told Canal Plus. “It’s just incomprehension. I don’t think it weighed on me in the sense that I have never considered myself involved.”

The 25-year-old soccer star appeared in Stockholm on Oct. 10 during an international break instead of playing for France in the Nations League. Just days later Swedish media reported he was the subject of the investigation.

At the time Swedish prosecutors confirmed that a rape investigation began but declined to comment further.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - France's Kylian Mbappe looks up as he wears a face mask during a team training session in Leipzig, Germany, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, file)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe takes control of the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe warms up prior the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after he scored his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atalanta and Real Madrid at the Bergamo's stadium, in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)