PSG Eliminated from League Cup; Monaco Through on Penalties
Paris Saint-Germain was eliminated from the League Cup quarter-finals after conceding three second-half penalties.
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Paris Saint-Germain was eliminated from the League Cup quarter-finals after conceding three second-half penalties in a 2-1 home loss to strugglers Guingamp on Wednesday, 9 January.
After missing a penalty when the score was at 0-0, striker Marcus Thuram – the son of France great Lilian Thuram – held his nerve to slot home the winner three minutes into injury time to stun the Parc des Princes crowd.
PSG had won the past five League Cups and secured yet another domestic treble last season, while Guingamp sits bottom of Ligue 1 with one of the championship's smallest budgets and is 36 points behind PSG.
"We didn't play with enough hunger," PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said. "We have a lot of things to improve and learn. Was it a one-off? I hope so."
Neymar put PSG ahead in the 63rd minute with a firm header following a fine cross from Thomas Meunier, who had given away the first penalty moments earlier. Thuram blazed that spot kick over the crossbar.
The next two PSG penalties were awarded by referee Benoit Bastien, who then validated both of them after using video review. It prompted anger from PSG's players, although replays showed they were correct decisions.
Substitute Yeni Ngbakoto tucked the second one confidently past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and then it was Thuram's turn to make amends for his earlier miss.
But he had to wait a few moments as Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Marco Verratti all protested and were shown a yellow card by Bastien in succession. Cavani and Verratti had both been on the bench to start the game, but Tuchel felt the need to bring them on after an even first half.
Thuram's penalty was not struck firmly but Areola could not keep it out and Guingamp's new coach Jocelyn Gourvennec jumped with joy when it went in.
"We were over-confident," Tuchel told broadcaster Canal Plus, adding "those penalties were a bit strange."
Goalie Scores Winner
Goalkeeper Loic Badiashile sent Monaco through to the League Cup semi-finals with a penalty shootout winner his coach Thierry Henry would have been proud of.
After all the outfield players had taken a penalty each in a tense shootout it was down to the goalkeepers to take their turn. The score was 7-7, with three players from each side having missed, and up stepped Rennes goalie Tomas Koubek.
He went for power over precision and it looked almost like he was taking a goal kick, rather than a penalty, as he blazed the ball high over the crossbar.
Then it was down to Badiashile, and he made no mistake as he confidently blasted the ball past Koubek.
During regulation time, midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud put Rennes ahead in the 30th minute and attacking midfielder Rony Lopes equalised in the 55th. The return of Lopes from injury is a welcome boost for Henry, the former Arsenal and Barcelona striker whose side is struggling in 19th place in the French league.
In Wednesday's other quarter-final, Nigerian striker Samuel Kalu scored the winner as Bordeaux beat second-division Le Havre 1-0.
On Tuesday, Strasbourg reached the last four with a 2-1 win at Lyon.
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