PSG Wins French Cup
This
was the first game in France after the league was ended in April because of the
coronavirus outbreak.
Neymar
opened the scoring in a fiery first half in which Loic Perrin was sent off for
a bad foul on Mbappe.
It
prompted a melee on the pitch before the injured Mbappe had to go off.
The
France forward left the pitch in tears and later returned to the dugout on
crutches. He will be a serious doubt for PSG's Champions League quarter-final
with Atalanta in August.
Neymar's
goal proved enough to seal a 13th French Cup for PSG as the second half played
out with few incidents of note, with both sides showing tiredness on their
return to competitive action.
PSG were awarded the
league title after the season was ended early and this win means they have
completed a league and cup double.
However, their hopes of
adding League Cup and Champions League success to that have been dented by the
injury to Mbappe.
With many players
struggling to get up to speed after four months without competitive football,
Mbappe was one of the most lively players on the pitch in the opening stages.
It was his powerful shot that led to the opener as Jessy Moulin spilled the
ball at Neymar's feet for the opener.
PSG
were considerably less threatening after Mbappe went off injured and a lengthy
absence will be a real blow to the French champions' hopes of success in
Europe, with the 21-year-old having scored 29 goals in 33 appearances for PSG
this season.
"Everyone
is worried. Everyone who saw the foul is worried. Of course I'm worried,"
said boss Thomas Tuchel.
"We
have to be patient because we don't have any news. I think he will undergo
tests tonight."
PSG
captain Thiago Silva, added: "I hope Kylian is going to recover as quickly
as possible because he's a vital player for us."
There will have been
particular interest in this tie from clubs across Europe as a limited number of
fans were allowed to attend.
England
will not have supporters inside stadiums until October at the earliest, but
this fixture provided a glimpse of what it could look like in the Premier
League and English Football League once crowds are allowed to return.
Fewer
than 5,000 spectators were permitted at the 80,000-seater venue under stringent
health regulations, with the fans sat apart from others.
The
atmosphere was, understandably, considerably more muted than it would be for a
cup final in normal times but those in attendance still made themselves heard.
It
was a welcome first step in the right direction as football tries to return to
some sort of normality.
FROM .bbc.com/sport/football
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