En route to the Stade de France!

Well into their arduous marathon to close the season, Les Parisiens were back in Coupe de France action as they took on Montpellier in the semi-finals. For the encounter, Mauricio Pochettino started his side in a 4-3-3 with the huge return of Kylian Mbappé to the starting eleven. The World Champion was flanked up-front by Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia.

The semi-final promised a fascinating encounter between two sides determined to attack and driven by a common ambition. The objective for our Rouge et Bleu was clear: unlock the match quickly to make things easier for themselves. Once again, the masterstroke came from a supersonic Kylian Mbappé! Played in deep by Idrissa Gana Gueye after a smart team move, the number 7 struck powerfully with his left, leaving Dimitry Bertaud with absolutely no chance (0-1, 10').

Looking comfortable, Mauricio Pochettino's side played their football intelligently. Kylian Mbappé continued to pressure the home side (16', 18') before the Frenchman played in Mauro Icardi, who saw his effort blocked by the Montpellier goalkeeper (28'). Despite several promising chances before the break for our Parisiens, MHSC equalised through their first real chance of the match, as Gaëtan Laborde shot firmly at goal (1-1, 45').

After an impressive first half, Les Rouge et Bleu came back out after half-time with the intention to continue with their game plan! At the heart of all of Les Parisiens' chances, Kylian Mbappé continued to terrify with his lightning speed.  After another sprint (49'), the World Champion got his second goal of the game, demonstrating true prowess as he cut in from his left wing, beat several players and slipped the ball past Bertaud (1-2, 50'). A third consecutive brace in the competition for the forward, after Brest and Lille! The men from the capital had no intention of stepping off the accelerator, with Pablo Sarabia (59') and Kylian Mbappé (62) both going close.

And although Paris could have put the game to bed in an incredible final half an hour, it was the home side who would find the back of the net, after another counter-attack was converted by Andy Delort (2-2, 83'). From then on, it took Bertaud to stop Mauro Icardi (90'+3) and Danilo Pereira (90'+4) from securing Paris Saint-Germain's place in the final in the dying moments of the game. It was therefore a penalty shootout that would decide the winner of this semi-final. And it was our Rouge et Bleu, under immense pressure, who secured the ticket for the final thanks to Moise Kean's decisive spot kick!

Paris Saint-Germain will now look to defend their title with another final at the Stade de France - a  seventh consecutive - on 19 May. An excellent prospect for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who maintain their ambitions across the two competitions.