Paris-Saint-Germain outclassed the amateurs of the US Pays de Cassel (7-0) with a quintuplet from Kylian Mbappé, Monday January 23, in Lens (Pas-de-Calais), and will find Olympique de Marseille in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France. PSG took advantage of the windfall. This easy victory against a Regional 1 club (6ᵉ division) is good for the statistics, after two defeats in three Ligue 1 matches which have raised doubts.
With this first quintuplet in the history of PSG, star Kylian Mbappé increases his capital to 29 goals in 25 Coupe de France games, and joins the top scorer in the event Jean-Pierre Papin, author of 29 goals for Marseille and Bordeaux.
More than Mbappé, it is above all the Parisian defense that needed insurance at the moment, after having again yielded four times to Riyadh in a friendly match (5-4) on Thursday. But she had nothing to do with the amateurs. The Flandriens dreamed for half an hour before giving in suddenly, conceding four goals in eleven minutes, from Mbappé (29ᵉ, 35ᵉ, 40ᵉ) and Neymar (33ᵉ).
Back from the locker room, Mbappé twice more (56ᵉ, 79ᵉ) and Carlos Soler (64ᵉ) increased the score. The next round, around February 8, in Marseille, will be more at risk for PSG, the eighth “classic” in the Coupe de France over the last 22 seasons. Paris has won them all… And on February 26, the two rivals will meet again at the Stade Vélodrome in Ligue 1.
Mbappé shines, Neymar bedroom
The players of the US Pays de Cassel were initially as big as the giants of Flemish folklore who paraded before the match. Best Casselois on the ground, midfielder Nicolas Bruneel, briefly pro at US Dunkirk, recovered balls and sometimes advanced his team with a few inspired gestures.
But after Mbappé’s first goal, a deflected shot by captain Alexis Zmijak, the dike gave way. It remained to the public the pleasure of carrying Neymar, who gave him back, especially after his nice goal, when the Brazilian chambered, hands behind his ears, the stands of the Stade Bollaert.
But as often, the star was Mbappé, imperial, applauded at the announcement of the teams, like everywhere in France since his hat-trick in the World Cup final. This may not be the case in Marseille, holder of a series of 8 consecutive victories in all competitions.
The Marseille club won its match against Stade Rennes on Friday (1-0) to reach the knockout stages of the Coupe de France. OM’s last triumph in this event, which was so successful for them at one time, dates back to 1989, and time is running out. But the Marseillais, very solid, have the right to dream, because elimination in the Champions League leaves them enough energy to lead Ligue 1 and Coupe de France.