Kylian Mbappe’s first-half penalty was saved, but he quickly redeemed himself with a deflected shot to secure a 1-0 victory for Paris Saint-Germain over Rennes in the French Cup semi-final. PSG will now aim for their 15th French Cup trophy when they face Lyon on May 25 in Lille.
Rennes had previously defeated PSG in the 2019 final, where Mbappe was sent off for a rough challenge during extra time. However, in the first half of Wednesday’s match at Parc des Princes, Rennes seemed to have control over the game.
Mbappe, who had been relatively quiet, managed to earn a penalty by appearing to fall in the area from the left flank. However, veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda made a correct guess, diving low to his right and saving Mbappe’s spot-kick in the 37th minute.
Just three minutes later, Mbappe turned the tables by scoring a deflected goal during a counterattack. The shot hit a defender and caught Mandanda off guard as it rolled into the bottom left corner.
Although Mandanda made a smart save from Mbappe early in the second half, Rennes failed to create enough attacking opportunities to trouble PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
With a 12-point lead in the French league and only seven rounds remaining, PSG is on track for a treble. They will also face Barcelona, Coach Luis Enrique’s former club, in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, with the first leg taking place in Paris next Wednesday.