PARIS (AP) – Kylian Mbappé, in tears, limped with an obvious ankle when Paris Saint-Germain beat 1-0 Saint-Etienne of 10 men to win the French Cup on Friday.
Mbappé’s injury, which returned to the bench on crutches, has taken the shine out of a good fortune record in the 13th Cup and will raise considerations for the quarter-finals of the PSG Champions League against Atalanta next month.
Loc Perrin, half-center Saint-Etienne, expelled in the 30th minute for awkwardly hacking Mbappé as he ran, and Mbappé’s right ankle gave the impression of bending under him.
Perrin made his last appearance for Saint-Etienne, 17 years after his debut, and his lack triggered a brief outburst of anger between the sides.
Neymar scored PSG’s first goal from close to 14 minutes after goalkeeper Jessy Moulin stopped Mbappé’s shot.
It was difficult for Saint-Etienne, who hit the pole through forward Denis Bouanga from the start. Bouanga had a shot well stopped through goalkeeper Keylor Navas later in the first half.
But Moulin also had to make a very good stop with one hand to save Angel Di Maria’s curved blow.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke protractedly with the players before the start of the match. A maximum of 5,000 enthusiasts were allowed at the Stade de France due to coronavirus restrictions, but 2805 participated.
PSG, who lost last season’s top on penalties, had played a competitive match since 11 March when they faced Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the 16th round of the Champions League.
The last adjustment at Saint-Etienne had taken the position 3 days earlier in the French league, before being cancelled with 10 rounds for the final on 30 April.
Despite having an additional player, PSG threatened the part slightly at the time for well-saved speculative shots through Moulin.