Holders PSG knocked out of French Cup: Key numbers
Holders Paris Saint-Germain have been knocked out of the French Cup by Nice on penalties after the match ended goalless in normal time. Nice sealed the penalty shootout 6-5. Marcin Bulka saved the decisive penalty, keeping out Xavi Simons' effort to send Nice into the quarter-finals. Nice will now face Marseille in the last eight. Here are further details.
How did the match pan out?
Marco Verratti missed a glorious chance for PSG in the first half, placing his effort wide off the post. However, Nice were resilient at the back to thwart PSG. Nice had the better chances in the second half, asking Gianluigi Donnarumma to make a couple of crucial saves. Kylian Mbappe hit the post for PSG as well but no goal arrived for either sides.
Why does it matter?
This was a case of PSG falling short in a competition Mauricio Pochettino would have liked his side to win. He had named a strong starting XI which included Lionel Messi. But despite the rich talented players, PSG failed to get the decisive goal. PSG are the most successful side in the French Cup but they will not be able to add further glory.
Unwanted numbers for PSG
PSG striker Mauro Icardi made only six touches against Nice. As per Opta, this is the worst tally for a player who appeared more than 45 minutes of a game with PSG since this data was collected in all competitions (2014-15). Nice have ended PSG's run in the French Cup. PSG had reached the final of the French Cup for seven successive seasons (2015-2021).
Dante scores the winning penalty
The penalty shootout saw 11 successive kicks. For PSG, Lionel Messi, Mbappe, Leonardo Paredes, Julian Draxler, Marco Verratti, and Juan Bernat scored. Xavi Simons missed his penalty. For Nice, former Bayern Munich defender Dante scored the winning penalty.
Key details about the French Cup
The quarter-finals will be held on February 9. The fixtures for the quarters are: Bergerac Perigord vs Versailles, Nantes vs Bastia, Monaco vs Amiens SC, Nice vs Marseille. Monaco had beaten Lens 4-2 in the round of 16. Bergerac Perigord stunned Saint Etienne 1-0. Marseille beat Montpellier 5-4 on penalties. Bastia beat Reims on penalties. Versailles overcame Toulouse 1-0. Amiens beat Nancy 2-0.
