French Cup: Paris Saint-Germain lose to Rennes on penalties
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain failed to live up to the hype as they were beaten 5-6 on penalties by Rennes in the French Cup 2018-19 final at Stade de France on Saturday. While the match witnessed a 2-2 draw after regulation time, it was headlined by Kylian Mbappe's red-card. It is being touted as one of the reasons behind the loss of PSG.
Dani Alves and Neymar put PSG 2-0 up
The first half saw total domination from PSG as they were 2-0 up within 21 minutes of game-time. Defender Dani Alves scored in the 13th minute, courtesy an assist from Neymar. Only eight minutes later, Neymar doubled the lead following an assist from Angel Di Maria. However, it was a howler from Presnel Kimpembe, whose own goal made the score to 2-1 at half-time.
Mexer levels for Rennes as extra time followed
The second half saw composed gameplay from both the sides, however, it was Rennes that were pushing for the kill since they were behind. In the 66th minute, Mexer softly headed the ball to drive it home past the confused goal-keeper Alphonse Areola. While PSG had a couple of close calls thanks to deadly duo of Neymar and Mbappe, the deadlock stayed.
Mbappe sees the red
The extra time saw PSG push for the attack, but Rennes held on. While Mbappe did hit the inside of the post in the 99th minute, Ben Arfa tried to head the ball in the 110th minute, both to no avail. The 118th minute saw Mbappe being sent off for a fierce tackle on Damien Da Silva, as the tally read 2-2.
Rennes hold their nerves to edge past in penalties
Mbappe's red card became a deciding factor as both the teams remained in the deadlock following the conclusion of extra time. Niang of Rennes started the penalty shootout proceedings with a goal as both the teams continued scoring five in a row. While Ismaila Sarr put in the sixth, Christopher Nkunku of PSG shot it wide that helped Rennes seal their third French Cup.
PSG and Rennes aim to finish on high
As of now, both the teams don't have any further tournament commitments apart from Ligue 1. While PSG have already won the league, Rennes are currently ranked 11th. The French Cup winners would aim to notch up wins in their remaining five matches.
