Paris Saint-Germain’s 43-match winning run in domestic cup competitions came to an end on Wednesday as Thomas Tuchel’s men suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Ligue 1 bottom-dwellers En Avant de Guingamp in the Coupe de la Ligue quarter-finals.
The visitors were awarded three penalties at the Parc des Princes in the second half as PSG failed in their bid for a sixth straight Coupe de la Ligue title.
It was only the second defeat in all competitions this season for the capital club, after a 3-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League in September last year.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Guingamp, who have won just two league games all season, join AS Monaco, Strasbourg and Girondins de Bordeaux in the semi-finals.
“We came here to win and we know it’s very difficult here,” said Marcus Thuram, the son of 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, who scored the winner. “We know that in the Coupe anything can happen... We knew how to hinder PSG.”
Neymar broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute after Marcus Thuram missed from the spot, but Guingamp rallied, with Marcus Thuram Thuram’s successful injury-time penalty snatching victory with a shoot-out looming.
“We played with too much confidence, we were not hungry enough to finish the match,” Tuchel said.
“It’s very hard to lose with three penalties. I was angry with the second one, I can see the VAR [video assistant referee] 100 times, it’s not a penalty,” he said.
Tuchel named a strong starting lineup that included Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Angel di Maria, but a drab first half in the capital failed to produce a single shot on target from either side.
The reigning French champions had over the weekend extended their cup winning streak against fifth-tier GSI Pontivy, but Guingamp were awarded a penalty on the hour mark when Ludovic Blas was tripped by PSG fullback Thomas Meunier.
Forward Marcus Thuram blazed his effort well over the top of the crossbar and it appeared as though the opportunity of an upset had passed Guingamp by when Neymar headed home a Meunier cross less than two minutes later.
However, the visitors managed to stay in the game and were handed another penalty nine minutes from time when Marcus Coco was bundled over by Juan Bernat, and Democratic Republic of the Congo international Yeni Ngbakoto made no mistake after a lengthy VAR delay.
With the game set for penalties after 90 minutes, Guingamp landed a decisive blow on the counterattack, as Thilo Kehrer fouled Marcus Thuram, and this time the 21-year-old squeezed the ball under the diving Alphonse Areola into the PSG net.
Earlier on Wednesday, Monaco goalkeeper Loic Badiashile scored the winning penalty in a marathon shoot-out against Stade Rennais.
Monaco, runners-up in the past two seasons, salvaged a 1-1 draw after normal time thanks to Rony Lopes’ second-half equalizer, before Badiashile saved three spot-kicks.
Thierry Henry’s young team are floundering in Ligue 1, sitting second to the bottom and five points from safety, but managed to keep their coach’s hopes of a first trophy alive at the Stade Louis II.
“That’s exactly how we want to play,” the former Arsenal and France striker said. “Sometimes we heard the crowd were unhappy, but we got the ball back on the ground and we played.”
“Finally we reacted after conceding a goal. Before we didn’t know how to do it. This time, we did,” he said.
Monaco were the better side for the majority of an uneventful first half, with Moussa Sylla twice going close, but went into the break a goal down after Benjamin Bourigeaud swept Rennes ahead on the half-hour mark after a clever pass from Hatem Ben Arfa.
Henry was grateful to have Lopes back in the starting lineup for the first time since Sept. 2 last year after a thigh injury. The Portuguese forward tapped in Julien Serrano’s low cross to level in the 54th minute.
Kamil Glik and new signing Naldo both missed chances to win the tie for Monaco on penalties, but 20-year-old Badiashile slotted home the 22nd spot-kick to send them through after Rennes goalkeeper Tomas Koubek had blazed over.
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