Paris beat Vannes and head into the last 16

As night fell in Brittany this evening, the current league leaders travelled to Vannes for their very first outing of 2022. Mauricio Pochettino put out an unprecedented starting eleven for this Coupe de France last-32 tie, with no fewer than six midfielders at kick-off, including two PSG academy graduates, Edouard Michut and Xavi Simons. This was precisely what was needed to break the lock of a very compact-looking Vannes defence.

In the typically Breton rain, Paris knew that they would have to spare no effort in trying to dishearten an uninhibited Vannes side. The capital club very quickly got their foot on the ball, breaking into the hosts' penalty area time and time again, as shown by the chances for Ander Herrera, the aforementioned Simons, Colin Dagba and Gini Wijnaldum, but the breakthrough eventually came from Presnel Kimpembe. From a perfectly curled corner from Nuno Mendes, the captain for the evening broke the deadlock with a bullet header at point-blank range in the 28th minute. Paris held onto their lead until the half-time break, having controlled the first half with professionalism and patience – and without conceding a single shot.

Knowing that they would have to score to turn the game around, the National 2 outfit naturally came out from the dressing room more motivated than ever, but the Parisians wasted no time in taking back control of the match, making it 2-0 with a swift attacking move. From a long ball over the top from Kimpembe, Kylian Mbappé drove through the defence like a high-speed train to double his team's lead with a side-footed finish in the 59th minute. After opening his account for 2022, the France international then got himself a brace, providing a clean finish to the simplest of moves initiated masterfully by Marco Verratti and continued by the two academy graduates, Michut and Simons, to make it 3-0 in the 71st minute.

Having killed the game off, it was time to get a hat-trick. The ever-hungry n° 7 made the most of his hot streak to score his third goal of the game from an Eric-Junior Dina Ebimbe pass and notch up his 150th goal for Paris Saint-Germain in the 76th minute.

Carried by the leadership of its key players and the freshness of its young hopefuls, Mauricio Pochettino's side put the hosts under pressure until the final whistle, as demonstrated by Michut's shot onto the bar in the 80th minute, whilst Gigio Donnarumma got a strong hand to a 90th-minute attempt in order to keep a clean sheet.

Paris Saint-Germain's professional and controlled performance gives them the ideal start to 2022, as they book their place in the last 16 of the Coupe de France. Mission accomplished.