Saint-Denis (AFP)
Paris SG validated their hat-trick by winning the Coupe de France on Friday against Saint-Etienne (1-0) thanks to Neymar, but the injury of his prodigy Kylian Mbappé raises concerns about the rest of his program, and the League of champions he covets.
A confusing evening and, at the end, a title with mixed taste: PSG did not succeed in the restart hoped for for the resumption of competition in France, after more than four months of interruption due to the coronavirus, in a Stadium of France almost empty.
The replacement of Kylian Mbappé (31st), hit in the right ankle by the dangerous tackle from Loïc Perrin, recalled the less glorious moments of his recent history, and the many unavailabilities that spoil his major meetings.
It was not the expulsion of the Stéphanois captain, after the help of the VAR, which calmed the anger of the Parisians, caught in the beginning of a general fight with their opponents.
A few minutes earlier (20th), coach Thomas Tuchel had replaced his right side Thilo Kehrer, also injured, who is playing in a position where he lacks alternatives.
- Neymar decisive -
For French football, which has been waiting for this meeting since March, there will remain the image of an ultra-aggressive first half hour of play, not to its advantage, and that of the stands of the Lyon enclosure, 95% empty. due to government gauge. Nearly 2,500 spectators took their seats without filling the impression of emptiness amplified by the two closed bends.
But Neymar has the power to turn up the volume, and make the supporters enthusiastic enough to hide the noise from the nearby highway. The Brazilian transformed one of the rare Parisian opportunities of the first period, by mischievously resuming the strike from Kylian Mbappé diverted by Jessy Moulin (14th).
The "Ney" had left the Stade de France on a slap addressed to a spectator during the final of the 2019 edition lost against Rennes. His return with fanfare follows the upward curve of his well-being in the capital, he who wants to shine in C1 in August.
Another frame at the meeting, the goalkeeper Keylor Navas, decisive in front of Denis Bouanga (16th, 21st) and Wahbi Khazri (86th), then well helped by his post on a strike from the untenable Gabonese striker (5th).
Seeing the effectiveness of Neymar and Navas, Tuchel saw that his post-break PSG looked a lot like the one before. But the fragility displayed at times must also have evoked some old memories.
PSG suffered a lot at the start of the game against the aggressive Stéphanois. He almost paid dearly for his inability to take cover, during the last tense minutes against the Ligériens who had the opportunities to equalize (60th, 66th, 90th).
The specter of Rennes, who came back from 0-2 to win on penalties, has long floated above the rare Parisian supporters present, much less vocal than those of the Greens.
- Perrin, his head bowed -
Before Lyon, in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue next Friday, then Bergamo, Paris will have to gain in volume. The last half hour demonstrated the physical limits of a team which began its preparation on June 22 and whose owners had never played more than an hour until then.
But with this Coupe de France, the fifth since 2015 and the 13th overall, the essential is preserved. Paris succeeds the treble, with the Ligue 1 and the Champions Trophy, which sticks to its enormous ambitions.
Saint-Etienne, who dreamed of this title which escapes him since 1977, has played his all-out, but the red card of his captain Perrin, left with his head bowed for his probable der 'before retirement, necessarily leaves him with a bitter taste .
Definitely, it was a confusing evening for everyone. From the presentation of the players to the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, without the usual handshake to respect social distancing and loud music to hide the silence. At the trophy raised on the lawn by captain Thiago Silva. Football has resumed in France.
© 2020 AFP