A recovery to say the least expected. After an aborted season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, PSG and Saint-Étienne fought for the first official meeting in France since March 10. The Parisians have once again crushed national competition, by 1 goal to 0 against the Greens.

For this first final of the summer, the Parisian coach Thomas Tuchel had chosen to rely on the experience of Thiago Silva, to the detriment of Presnel Kimpembe, in central hinge, in his eleven holder. He also preferred Leandro Paredes to Marco Verratti in the middle.

This match did not go smoothly for PSG, however. Star striker Kylian Mbappé came out on injury during the first half after a violent tackle from captain from Saint-Etienne, Loïc Perrin, excluded for this gesture after resorting to video arbitration (VAR). Hit in the right ankle, the French world champion limped out of the field. Bad news for PSG three weeks before the Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta Bergamo. 

A smooth preparation

Sanitary protocol requires, the meeting was held in an almost empty Stade de France, since only 5,000 people could enter. The presence of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron was one of the rare landmarks to have resisted around this event, the usual conclusion of a season which, today, opens a new one.

A minute of applause was observed in tribute to the victims of Covid-19 and "to the everyday heroes who found themselves on the front line", announced the French Football Federation.

The team of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé had approached this final as a big favorite, after a smooth preparation. During their three preparation matches, the PSG players had already largely dominated their subject. After sweeping Le Havre (Ligue 2) with a score of 9-0, then the Belgians of the second division of Waasland-Beveren (7-0), they also defeated Celtic Glasgow (4-0) on Tuesday, making thus full of confidence.

With AFP

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