Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe were on the scoresheet as PSG beat Lille 3-0 to book a place in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.
It was Lille who had the first big chance of the game, but Burak Yilmaz fired his effort right at PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas while Domagoj Bradaric hit the rebound at the Costa Rican as well. They were made to pay three minutes later as Mauro Icardi capitalised on some misunderstanding at the back to put the Parisians in front at Parc des Princes.
After Leandro Paredes saw an effort parried wide for PSG and Lille’s Yilmaz struck the woodwork, the hosts were awarded a penalty in the 40th minute with Zeki Celik fouling substitute Kylian Mbappe, who made no mistake in dispatching the spot-kick to double his team’s lead.
Navas was called into action again after the hour-mark and he did well to keep Boubakary Soumare’s long range effort out while also denying Jonathan Bamba. Lille continued the pressure and managed to win a penalty in the 77th minute for a handball by Laywin Kurzawa, but Yusuf Yazici failed to make it count.
In the dying moments, Mbappe managed to add another to his tally, chipping over the onrushing Mike Maignan to make it 3-0 and book PSG’s place in the next round. Here’s how we rated the performances of Mauricio Pochettino’s men on the evening.
Keylor Navas: 8/10
Barcelona ❌
Lille ❌Two penalty saves in a week for Keylor Navas ? pic.twitter.com/PCmpBNeVZb
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 17, 2021
Came up clutch for PSG as he was forced into making several crucial saves to keep his team in it. Started off with a double save to keep out Yilmaz and Bradaric and then stopped Soumare and Bamba from scoring in the second half before denying Yazici from the penalty spot. Top-notch.
Colin Dagba: 6/10
Preferred over Thilo Kehrer and Alessandro Florenzi once again, the Frenchman did very little of note. Got forward on a couple of occasions and hit dangerous crosses. Had a few problems at the back but made no major errors before being taken off at half-time.
Marquinhos: 7/10
Starting the game despite the horrific incident involving his family at the weekend, the Brazilian marshaled the PSG defence well, organising the high-line effectively. Won five of his six duels on the evening while his distribution from the back was sharp.
Abdou Diallo: 7/10
Moved into the centre-back role after starting at left-back last weekend, the ex-Borussia Dortmund man had a fairly solid evening as well, apart from an occasion or two in the second half when substitute Jonathan David got the better of him. Steady and composed on the ball, Diallo completed 91% of his passes that included one key pass as well.
Layvin Kurzawa: 5/10
Back into the starting lineup after not featuring at the weekend, the Frenchman was well below his best. Made a few good forward runs but was not able to back it up with good end product. Caught out defensively at times and then gave away the penalty with a handball. Thankfully for him Navas stopped Yazici’s effort.
Leandro Paredes: 6.5/10
Returning to the side, the midfielder brought the bite and the aggression in the middle of the park. Strong in his challenges, Paredes completed four tackles and looked to initiate attacks after regaining possession. Also had a shot parried away by Maignan. Solid effort, if not spectacular.
Idrissa Gueye: 6.5/10
Did the dirty work in the middle of the park and did it fairly well, limiting Lille’s opportunities on the counter. Was fairly accurate with his passing as well, but could have shown more imagination. Booked and made way for Danilo Pereira in the latter stages of the game.
Angel Di Maria: 6.5/10
Starting in spite of the unsavoury incident that went down at his home at the weekend, the Argentine looked bright and lively in bits and parts but was not able to translate that into an impactful display. Managed just one key pass on the evening while failing to hit a single successful cross in six attempts. Did play a crucial role in the opening goal while also created a late chance for Alessandro Florenzi.
Rafinha: 7/10
Quarts ✔️@coupedefrance pic.twitter.com/eqUk3Y1odo
— Rafinha Alcantara (@Rafinha) March 17, 2021
A solid all-round display from the on-loan Barcelona man who kept things ticking along for PSG when on the ball with progressive passes and worked hard when not in possession. Played two key passes while also making three interceptions and two tackles. Might not always stand out on the field but there’s no lacking for effort from the Brazilian. Was booked just two minutes into the game but kept his discipline.
Moise Kean: 5.5/10
Not the most productive of evenings for the Italian international who started out on the left before taking up a central role following Icardi’s injury. Was not involved a great deal as he managed just 24 touches, losing possession nine times. Had a shot blocked but did track back to support his teammates.
Mauro Icardi: 6/10
Mauro Icardi puts PSG ahead of Lille early in the Coupe De France RO16 ? pic.twitter.com/DfnWCQtvUN
— International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) March 17, 2021
Got PSG up and running by capitalising on some miscommunication at the back from Lille. Worked hard at the top, ran the channels well before succumbing to an injury leading to a substitution.
SUBSTITUTES
Kylian Mbappe: 8/10
Replaced the injured Icardi in the first half and made an impact almost instantly as he won the penalty from a good run before converting it to put his team in the driving seat. Then added the third late in the game to put the result beyond any measure of doubt. Impactful from the PSG superstar with the booking for dissent in the second half being the only blot.
KYLIAN MBAPPE BRACE, 28th goal of the season ??
pic.twitter.com/yXFSEyq2gO— KMbappeTeam (@KMbappeTeam) March 17, 2021
Alessandro Florenzi: 6.5/10
Came on for Dagba after the half-time break. Offered a little more endeavour going forward than the man he replaced. Came close to scoring with an effort in stoppage time.
Marco Verratti: 6/10
On for Rafinha in the 69th minute. Did not see much of the ball but helped PSG see off the game without any troubles.
Danilo Pereira: 6/10
Came on to replace Gueye for the final twenty minutes. Brought in as PSG looked to shut up shop and helped do so effectively.
Julian Draxler: N/A
Sent on for Kean with a little over ten minutes left.
