Neymar scored the winning goal when Paris Saint-Germain defeated 10-man Saint-Etienne 1-0 in the French Cup final on Friday, the country's first competitive match since March 11 after the pandemic of coronavirus.
However, coach Thomas Tuchel faces an anxious wait for Kylian Mbappe's fitness before next month's Champions League quarterfinals against Atalanta, after the French star cried during the first half with an ankle injury.
The World Cup winner was later seen exiting the tunnel on crutches after a terrible challenge that resulted in the dismissal of Saint-Etienne captain Loic Perrin.
"Everyone is concerned. Everyone who saw the foul is concerned. Of course I am concerned," said Tuchel.
"I am very happy because we won, but we have to be patient because we have no news. I think he will be tested tonight."
PSG secured the first of three possible trophies this summer, claiming a 13th French Cup that extends the record with the League Cup final against Lyon next Friday before the resumption of their European campaign in Portugal.
"It was very difficult, perhaps the best thing," added Tuchel, whose team added to their Ligue 1 title awarded in April after the season ended prematurely.
The final at the Stade de France was the first official match in one of Europe's top soccer nations to allow fans to attend since March, albeit in severely restricted numbers with just 2,805 spectators, including French President Emmanuel Macron, within the 80,000 seats. place of events.
A one-minute applause was held before the start for the victims of COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people in France, and in support of front-line workers.
PSG had racked up 20 unanswered goals in three pre-final friendlies, but Yvann Macon's crunch on Neymar in the first minute suggested that Saint-Etienne would not grant that goodwill in his first final appearance in the Coupe de France since 1982. .
The challenge set the tone for a hectic opening period and Denis Bouanga was inches away from firing Saint-Etienne when his attack recovered from Keylor Navas' left post.
From NDTV Sports
No comments:
Post a Comment