Saint-Denis (AFP)

National Grand Slam for Paris: at the end of the penalty shoot-out, the Parisian club offered themselves the last League Cup in history on Friday at the expense of Lyon (0-0 ap, 6-5 tab), who misses one of his last chances to qualify for a European Cup.

Gasping goodbyes, suspense and anguish until the end, failing a show to match. Despite scorching temperatures, the absence of Kylian Mbappé and injuries, PSG managed to control their nerves on penalties to win their 9th title in the event. A record!

Less than two weeks before its Champions League quarter-final, on August 12 against Atalanta Bergamo, Paris ends its domestic season with a Grand Slam, after winning the Champions Trophy, the Championship and the Coupe de France .

"We won four trophies, it was the maximum" in France, welcomed the Parisian coach Thomas Tuchel after the match. The minimum expected to complete the loop, 25 years after winning the first edition, and to forget a disappointing 2018/19 season, where he had to give up the two national cups.

Unable to win a title since 2012, Lyon did not take advantage of the last official French match of the strange 2019/20 season truncated by the coronavirus pandemic, to afford a ticket for Europe.

Seventh at the time of the early termination of Ligue 1, OL had to win to avoid living their first season without a European Cup since 1997. A symbolic and financial cataclysm that President Jean-Michel Aulas will be able to avoid. .. only if his team wins the C1 in August!

- Mbappé in the stands -

Under the eyes of Mbappé, present in the stands during the meeting before living the penalty shootout on the bench, the Parisians experienced all the difficulties to pack the meeting.

However, Neymar did everything to open the scoring from the start. After signing the first strike of the match (5th), the Brazilian N.10 was on the verge of lodging the ball in the opposing net with a strike unstoppable rolled up but out of frame (8th). The biggest opportunity of the match.

Without "KM", at the origin of the victorious goal signed Neymar in the Coupe de France last Friday before injuring himself, his trainer Thomas Tuchel chose to learn to win in a new more careful system: a 4-3-3, where Marquinhos regained the role of sentry in the middle.

Despite Marco Verratti's brilliant dribbling, this "plan B" took a long time to take its bearings against catchy Lyonnais, like their captain Memphis Depay.

The Dutchman, who should never have played this final initially scheduled for April 4, has been one of the most leggy for 80 minutes on his return to an official match since his serious injury in December.

However, insufficient to make the difference but a good omen for qualifying at the end of the round of 16 second leg of C1 against Juventus Turin on August 7 (1-0 victory in the first leg).

- Navas wins his duel against Lopes -

Faced with the neutralization of the two teams, relying only on the hope of individual exploits, it is the rule of "five changes" which animated the end of the meeting.

The entry into play of Pablo Sarabia and Ander Herrera, in place of Mauro Icardi and Idrissa Gueye (58th), then that of Thilo Kehrer at the expense of Layvin Kurzawa (69th), first fed the specter of new injuries.

While those of Karl Toko Ekambi, Bertrand Traoré and Joachim Andersen (80th), then Rafael (86th), gave hope for a hero out of the bench.

Herrera thought he could put on the costume for Paris when his center found Neymar's head ... but Lopes slammed the attempt at the last moment (87th)!

In a padlocked part, where the bodies were close to breaking, the Lyon goalkeeper was flawless, delaying the deadline with a new high-class stop against Angel Di Maria (95th).

The exclusion of Rafael and the free kick of the last chance of Neymar (120th) did not avoid the inevitable: the shootout. It was Navas, little worried during the game, who gained the upper hand over Lopes by pushing back Traore's attempt. The art of shining at the best time.

© 2020 AFP