Holders Paris Saint-Germain labored to a 1-0 win at fourth-tier ES Wasquehal on Sunday to reach the round-of-32 of the Coupe de France, while Olympique Lyonnais and AS Monaco recorded thumping victories over amateur sides.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed home a Marco Verratti cross on the hour mark in far northern France as the runaway Ligue 1 leaders maintained their unbeaten domestic run this season.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc rested several key players, including Angel di Maria, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva, but still fielded a strong team that included the likes of Ibrahimovic, Verratti, Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta.
“Getting back into competition is always the hardest part, even more so with the tricky weather conditions,” Blanc said after PSG’s first competitive game following France’s short winter break, during which they traveled to Qatar for a training camp. “We would have liked to have played better to wrap things up earlier and make things easier, but we weren’t capable of doing that this afternoon. The most important thing is to move on and we’ve done that.”
Elsewhere, Lyon made a promising start under new coach Bruno Genesio as Maxwell Cornet and Rachid Ghezzal both scored twice, with Claudio Beauvue, Sergi Darder and Corentin Tolisso also on target in a 7-0 hammering of fifth-division Limoges.
Monaco hit double digits with a crushing 10-2 defeat of seventh-tier Saint-Jean Beaulieu in a local derby as Lacina Traore scored four first-half goals before he was sent off for a halftime altercation.
In an all top-flight tie, Olympique de Marseille won 3-1 on penalties away to Stade Malherbe Caen after a tie that remained goalless through 90 minutes and extra-time in Normandy.
Marseille, who have won the competition a record 10 times, but not since 1988-1989, survived having Dutch defender Karim Rekik sent off in the second half to progress as goalkeeper Steve Mandanda saved three spot-kicks in the penalty shootout.
AS Saint-Etienne were given a scare by US Raonnaise, as the Ligue 1 side were taken to penalties following a 1-1 draw, eventually prevailing 4-3 in a shootout against their fifth-tier opponents.
Girondins de Bordeaux came from behind to beat third-tier Etoile Frejus Saint-Raphael 3-2, with Diego Rolan grabbing a stunning 90th-minute winner for the visitors after Cheick Diabate had twice leveled for Willy Sagnol’s side.
Montpellier Herault, who saw Pascal Baills and Bruno Martini take joint control of the first team after the resignation of Rolland Courbis last month, edged past fifth-division RC Epernay Champagne 1-0 courtesy of a second-half goal from Mustapha Yatabare.
Benjamin Jeannot scored an extra-time winner for Lorient as they overcame Ligue 2 outfit Tours 3-2, Lille OSC scraped past AC Amiens 1-0 and En Avant de Guingamp were comfortable 4-0 winners at US Chantilly.
The draw for the next round was due to take place yesterday before the final round-of-64 tie, an all Ligue 1 affair between OGC Nice and Stade Rennais on the Cote d’Azur.
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