PSG celebrates comeback with cup win after a four-month break

Thomas Tuchel won the double with Paris St. Germain 138 days after the last competitive game in French football – but the German coach is worried about his superstar Kylian Mbappe. The star ensemble had a lot of trouble in front of almost 5000 fans at the Stade de France against outsider AS St. Etienne despite being over an hour long, but also won the national cup competition by 1-0 (1-0) after the championship.

However, the joy from Mbappe’s injury was marred. “We are all concerned, everyone who saw the foul is concerned,” said Tuchel after the game. Defense chief Thiago Silva said he hoped “Kylian would recover as soon as possible. He’s a key player for us.”

On Saturday there was at least a slight all-clear. After initial examinations, Mbappe suffered a severe sprain in the right ankle, a ligament injury or fracture were initially not found. It is still unclear whether the Frenchman will be ready for the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League at Atalanta Bergamo on August 12th. It should be examined again within the next 72 hours.

After Neymar’s early lead (13th), Loic Perrin’s dismissal (31st, according to video evidence) seemed to make an early decision. The League 17 Captain. had hit Superstar Mbappe brutally at the ankle, the world champion then had to limp heavily. But Paris found it extremely difficult to outnumber and had to tremble to the end. In the end there was still the 13th triumph in the Coupe de France and the fourth double in the club’s history.

While St. Etienne missed the seventh cup victory, PSG is heading for the most successful year in the club’s history with two outstanding title chances. But the Tuchel team will have to improve both in the final in the League Cup against Olympique Lyon on July 31 and in the final tournament of the Champions League in Lisbon.

St. Etienne was surprisingly the better team in the eyes of President Emmanuel Macron, but Denis Bouanga (5th) failed on the post. The Neymar scoring gate came out of nowhere, only after Paris was sent off did the game get a bit under control – without shining. After the change, the French record champions even outnumbered chances to equalize.