Lorient (AFP)

Paris SG, largely reworked and uninspired, qualified without convincing for the 8th finals of the Coupe de France against an eye-catching Lorient (1-0), Sunday evening at the Stade du Moustoir.

It was far from PSG which has scored 41 goals in its 10 previous matches, including seven against Monaco in the last week ...

Coach Thomas Tuchel, who had already left eight players in Paris including Edinson Cavani, Marco Verratti, Juan Bernat and Marquinhos, has also chosen to keep Kylian Mbappé and Neymar on the bench.

After having let Lorient, leader of Ligue 2, build for a few minutes, the Parisians gave a slow pace to the meeting, with an uninspired attack against the defensive block of Merlus, who spent most of the first half entrenched in their half of the field.

Lorient goalkeeper Paul Nardi was relatively uninvited and the only real animation came from the rare Breton countermeasures. If the Parisian defense killed most of them in the bud, the most successful ended with a head by Yoan Wissa missing the frame by just (35th).

Deprived of the other Fantastics, Angel Di Maria and Mauro Icardi stayed far from their best level. And just before the break, Paredes saw the Breton wall deflect a free kick obtained 20 meters from goal.

- Sarabia delivers the PSG -

Returning from the locker room, Lorient went on the attack, forcing Sergio Rico to two interventions in the first minutes, to the fight with Wissa (45th) then on a volley volley from Laurent Abergel (47th).

If they still remained withdrawn in defense, the Bretons multiplied the overlaps towards the opposing goal.

With fatigue, the defensive pressing relaxed and the Parisian actions became more precise, with for example two strikes of Di Maria countered by the defense.

The Parisians claimed a penalty on the first, deflected by the slightly offset forearm of Thomas Fontaine, but the referee saw no fault and the VAR is not used in the Coupe de France.

Nardi then had to work, as on a head from Layvin Kurzawa (68th), or a strike from Pablo Sarabia (78th), before bowing on a head from the same Sarabia, served by Thiago Silva (80th, 0- 1).

The efforts of the Hake to return to the score, pushed by the whole stadium, then remained in vain.

For Paris, eightfold champion of France who now has a total of 11 undefeated matches in all competitions, it is despite everything mission accomplished: the Parisians are still in the running on all four tables and the executives will be fresh for the semi-final of League Cup Wednesday against Reims.

Lorient, who feared a much more severe score, will be able to rely on the state of mind displayed by his players to pursue his only objective of the season, the rise in Ligue 1.

© 2020 AFP