Angel Di Maria kept 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on course to defend their domestic treble by scoring decisively to sink Lille 2-1 in Saturday’s Coupe de la Ligue final. The Ligue 1 champions took the lead five minutes before half-time in contentious circumstances, with Javier Pastore’s shot passing through the legs of an offside Layvin Kurzawa on its way into the net.
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PSG was on the back foot after midfielder Adrien Rabiot was sent off in the 70th, but Lille dealt poorly with a long clearance and Di Maria intercepted the ball as it was headed back carelessly from midfield by center half Ibrahim Amadou.
Despite having already retained its Ligue 1 title, PSG has come in for criticism after the club’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final exit against Manchester City, and Blanc was keen to credit an impressive display of character.
Their task became tougher when Adrien Rabiot collected his second yellow card with 20 minutes remaining, but Di Maria capitalised on an erratic piece of judgement from Lille goalkeeper Victor Enyeama to guide the ball home from 30 yards.
Angel Di Maria squandered a chance to take the lead after just two minutes when he was left one-on-one with Vincent Enyeama, however the Argentine fired straight at the goalkeeper. It was the biggest game of the season but we must respect the choice of the coach, it is the truth.
“I hope the players will still be focused and motivated for the coming weeks”. “It’s very hard, we are very disappointed”, said Lille winger Boufal. Blanc opted to play Lucas Moura alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Di Maria up front, leaving Edinson Cavani on the bench, while the returning Marco Verratti was named among the substitutes.
Kurzawa made a nuisance of himself in front of Enyeama at a corner, and his header back was volleyed through a crowded area and into the net by Pastore. Things went from bad to worse for PSG when they were reduced to ten men after Rabiot hacked down the marauding Boufal.
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Despite the numerical disadvantage, PSG tookt he lead in the 74th minute as Di Maria was given time and space to place the past Enyeama, 2-1.
