PSG end Les Herbiers’ resistance to win French Cup

PARIS: Paris St Germain were made to sweat before beating brave third-tier side Les Herbiers 2-0 to win the French Cup and claim a domestic treble thanks to goals from Giovani Lo Celso and Edinson Cavani in the final on Tuesday.

Lo Celso scored in the 26th minute but they had to wait until Cavani slotted home a penalty after 74 minutes to seal victory for their record-extending 12th French Cup title.Les Herbiers, whose coach Stephane Masala is a fan of Italian tactics, started boldly and put some good moves together resulting in a couple of attempts in the first few minutes.

But PSG had the first clear chance in the fifth when Lo Celso’s shot from just outside the area bounced off the post as the recovering Neymar, who has returned from Brazil after undergoing foot surgery, watched his side from the stands.

Three minutes later, Les Herbiers were saved by the post again after Kylian Mbappe stretched for a Thiago Motta cross.In the 20th, PSG hit Matthieu Pichot’s right post for the third time, Lo Celso once more denied a goal after curling a delightful shot from inside the area.

It was third time lucky for the Argentine, however, as he beat Pichot with a shot from 18 metres.Mbappe netted from point-blank range five minutes into the second half but referee Mikael Lesage ruled the effort out after consulting the VAR (Video Assistant Referee), which showed a Marquinhos handball.

PSG finally doubled their tally late on when Cavani converted a penalty after being brought down by Pichot.