Sunday, 3 January 2016

Wasquehal 0-1 PSG: Ibra strikes in laboured les Parisien performance

Wasquehal 0-1 PSG: Ibra strikes in laboured les Parisien performance
 The Coupe de France holders stuttered in their first match defending their trophy but eventually could count on their talismanic Swede to deliver victory

Paris Saint-Germain got their Coupe de France defence off to a winning start with a 1-0 win at Wasquehal courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's winner.

The Swede struck just after the hour mark on Sunday to fire Laurent Blanc's men to the round of 64 victory at Stadium Lille Metropole over the minnows.

It was far from a vintage display from French domestic treble winners PSG, who fielded a weakened side comprising several youngsters and bench players.


After an uneventful first half, two of les Parisiens' regulars combined to break the deadlock with Marco Verratti finding Ibrahimovic with a ball into the area at the hour mark.

There was only one outcome from the Swede, who beat Romain Samson to the ball before netting what proved to be the only goal of the game.

Unsurprisingly, the visitors dominated possession in the opening stages, but Wasquehal created the best opening when Geoffrey Cabaye - brother of former PSG outcast Yohan - skewed wide from the edge of the box.

Salvatore Sirigu then spilled Messaoud Bouardja's long-range strike, only for the goalkeeper to be saved by an offside flag with Adama Diakite ready to pounce on the rebound.

PSG soon began to dominate, though, and Jean-Kevin Augustin wasted a gilt-edged opportunity with an air shot inside the six-yard box from Layvin Kurzawa's centre.

Augustin was wasteful again when he volleyed over from close range after an excellent clip over the top from Adrien Rabiot.

Wasquehal goalkeeper Romain Samson was the next to deny Augustin with his feet and from the follow up Verratti's shot was brilliantly blocked by Aurelien Goret.

The home goal was living a charmed life and Ibrahimovic side-footed wide from six yards after more excellent work from Kurzawa.

The Swede saw an ambitious 30-yard strike just clear the right-hand post before the break, and twice saw efforts go wide from distance early in the second half.

Wasquehal, who sit third in Group A of the Championnat de France Amateur, defended valiantly but their luck ran out on the hour mark. Verratti's cross looped off the head of Ibrahimovic and past Samson's attempt to punch the ball clear.

The 34-year-old, who laid claim to his seventh goal in his last six club outings, again went close with a dragged effort from the left of the area that deflected wide of the far post.

As the clock wound down, PSG appeared happy to just keep control of the ball, although Marquinhos almost made it 2-0 in the closing stages with an audacious chip but Samson scrambled back well to palm to safety.

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