Goliath sunk David at the Stade de France

Tuesday night at the Stade de France pitted the Ligue 1 champions against a third-division minnow in the battle for the French Cup trophy.

However, it would be Les Herbiers who would have the first sniff on goal when Pierre Germann dragged his shot wide of the target.

After that effort though, PSG dominated possession and chances but were left feeling frustrated when they struck the woodwork three times in the first 20 minutes.

Giovani Lo Celso went agonisingly close twice, the first with a fierce shot and the second with a well-executed curling effort, whilst Kylian Mbappe's volley also smacked the post.

Nonetheless, Unai Emery's side finally found their breakthrough in the 26th minute and it was third time the charm for Lo Celso. 

The Brazilian picked up the ball outside the box and decided to have a crack on goal from range. It was a great decision as his well-hit shot fired past opposing goalkeeper Matthieu Pichot and inside the left-hand post to make it 1-0 to PSG.

The goal didn't deter the spirit among Les Herbiers' players, who continued to fight against the superior opposition and gave a real good account of themselves at the Stade de France.

 

May 8, 2018

Dani Alves nearly doubled PSG's advantage eight minutes after though when his free-kick whistled past the top of the post.

However, Les Herbiers hung on and went into half-time only trailing by one goal. An incredible achievement given everyone expected the match to end in a thrashing.

And the frustrations for the Ligue 1 outfit continued in the second half as they saw a goal ruled out by VAR.

From a corner following a terrific save by Matthieu Pichot, Mbappe had poked home a rebound but under further investigation by the video system it was disallowed after Edinson Cavani had handled the ball in the build-up.

Things would worsen for the leaders when the Uruguayan saw his shot saved by Pichot, who delivered a masterful performance given the opposition he was up against.

The keeper would cover himself in more glory when he was in the perfect place to block a strike from Mbappe, who was just yards from goal.

However, he would turn from hero to villian in the 73rd minute when he took out Cavani in the box, gifting PSG a penalty.

Pichot guessed the right direction and managed to get a hand to Cavani's effort but it wasn't strong enough to direct it away from the back of the net. 

The spot-kicked doubled PSG's advantage and there was no way back for Les Herbiers, who would go close to scoring a consolation at the death through Clement Couterier but would ultimately fall 2-0 to end their miraculous cup run.

For PSG, the trophy is the club's second this season and secures Emery the League-Cup double in his final season at the helm. It's also their fourth French Cup in a row, the most of any club in French history.

It wasn't all good news for the Ligue 1 champions though as Dani Alves picked up a knock to his knee in the second half and was forced to withdraw, leaving Brazil fans worried with the World Cup fast approaching. 

 

May 8, 2018