Paris-Saint-Germain will not achieve a hat-trick in the Coupe de France. Nice eliminated the double defending champion on Monday, January 31, in the round of 16, after a penalty shootout (0-0, 6-5). The Niçois will meet Olympique de Marseille in the quarter-finals. It is the first time since 2011 that they have reached this stage of the competition.
The game ended with a failed attempt by young Dutchman Xavi Simons, 18, in front of Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, on loan this season from Paris. He had previously stopped a shot from Leandro Paredes.
Opposite, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s hero in this exercise in the semi-finals and final of the Euro last summer, only stopped one shot on goal, that of Andy Delort.
He was deceived by a “Panenka” from defender Dante, on the seventh attempt from Nice, a bold gesture that brought to light everything that PSG lacked during the evening.
Mbappé entered only at the 64and minute
It’s a slap that Paris-Saint-Germain has just received, two weeks before the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League against Real Madrid. The Parisians had been finalists continuously in the Coupe de France since 2015. Their last premature elimination dated back to January 2014, in 16and against Montpelier.
Several executives, expected against the Spaniards, missed this Monday evening against the Aiglons, such as Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria and Achraf Hakimi, retained in selection, or Neymar and Sergio Ramos, injured. Superstar striker Kylian Mbappé started the game on the bench, and only entered in the 64thand minute.
Mbappe “suffered from discomfort during the last training sessions. The medical advice was that he does not start, and that he plays about thirty minutes “, explained PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino at a press conference after the match. the attacker injured his left adductor ten days ago, but he had recovered to play against Reims on January 23 in Ligue 1 (4-0).
After a lackluster first half – despite the presence of Messi, Mbappé’s entry gave his teammates a bit of a boost. He even found the bar in added time (90and+2).
Concerns are only accumulating for PSG before Real, especially since this exit from the road recalls that against Guingamp in the round of 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue in January 2019, heralding the humiliation suffered against Manchester United in the round of 16 of C1 two months later.
