Final defeat for U19 team

As was the case away to Angers and Marseille in the two previous rounds, it was Paris Saint-Germain who conceded the opening goal. Not helped by the state of the pitch, defender Hugo Lamy was caught out early on by Nantes striker Mafoumbi, who slotted past Louis Mouquet (1-0, 9'). The Parisians were trailing and needed to react if they were to complete their playoff run with a final victory.

In the absence of a reaction, it was not until the end of the first half-hour that the players from the capital brought the danger to Tom Mabon's goal. True to form, Paris top scorer Ilyes Housni was the first to break through Les Canaris' defence. First he teed up Ismaël Gharbi in the penalty area, but his shot was blocked (27'). Then he tried to deceive the opposing keeper with a vicious shot from outside the area but his effort skimmed the left-hand post (31').

Noah Lemina continued his team's good form by breaking through the opposition defence from 20 metres out before firing a heavy left-footed shot against the crossbar (32'). 

Indefatigable, it was Lemina who made the difference for the Parisians. Just before half-time, the France U17 international took the ball on the edge of the area, feinted and sent a left-footed missile into the Nantes goal. The ball hit the post before dropping into the bottom right-hand corner of the empty net (1-1, 44').

Shortly after the restart in the second half, Gharbi linked up with Naoufel El Hannach on the right flank and struck a low, hard shot that the keeper kept out with a firm hand (51').

On the hour-mark, Zoumana Camara's men pushed forward. Teed up perfectly by Ethan Mbappé, Wimoj Muntu Wa Mungu fired from close range, only to be denied by the Nantes keeper (61').

Unruffled since the restart, it was FC Nantes who regained the lead. New signing Bahereba Guirassy sent an exceptional shot into Mouquet's top right-hand corner to give his team the lead (2-1, 72'). As the game drew to a close, Paris stayed in it thanks to their goalkeeper, who was decisive on a counter-attack in injury time (90'+3).

In the dying moments, Les Rouge et Bleu came close to equalising after a big scramble in the Nantes area, but no-one managed to get a shot away and the referee blew his whistle for a Parisian handball (90'+5).

The end of the match. This U19 National Championship final saw FC Nantes lift the trophy for the second time in as many years. The Parisians leave with their heads held high after a more-than-respectable campaign, but end their season on a sour note.