The Paris Saint-Germain women's team won 3-0 against Lyon this Saturday 29 January at the Stade Georges Lefèvre in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the round of 16 Coupe de France game. Here is a look back at a great afternoon!
Six days after their big victory against Saint-Etienne at the Stade Salif Keita in matchday 13 of D1 (5-0), the Rouge et Bleu returned to the Yvelines on Saturday. This time, the Parisians welcomed their rivals, Lyon, who are currently leading the D1 standings ahead of the Parisians. Didier Ollé-Nicolle named same starting eleven as against the Stéphanoises with one exception, the return of Sara Däbritz in midfield, in place of Aminata Diallo.
The Rouge et Bleu were up to the task and took the match by the scruff of the neck to hope to dethrone the two-time French Cup holders (the 2021 edition had been interrupted due to Covid-19). Marie-Antoinette Katoto failed to connect with Sandy Baltimore's cross (10'), before volleying over from Grace Geyoro (19') and then coming up against her former team-mate Christiane Endler after a cross from Kadidiatou Diani (29'). Geyoro (42') and Baltimore (45') then missed the target.
The Parisians finally managed to break the deadlock in the second half. Kheira Hamraoui met Däbritz's corner, but Emma Holmgren, who had replaced Endler just before the break after an injury, turned the ball onto her post. The ball came back to the German, who played it back to Baltimore, who took a touch and volleyed it into the top corner (1-0, 48'). Katoto came close to increasing the home side's lead, but the striker was denied by the Swedish goalkeeper (53’), and then saw her header saved by Selma Bacha on the line after a Sakina Karchaoui corner (62').
The Feunottes then looked to snatch an equaliser but Melvine Malard saw her effort stopped by Barbora Votikova (67'), before the Czech turned Dzsenifer Marozsan's shot onto her crossbar (74'). It was a missed opportunity, especially when Ashley Lawrence sent Diani through in behind.The Rouge et Bleu striker got in front of Holmgren and slipped the ball between her legs from the penalty spot (2-0, 76'). But it was Katoto who finally made the difference when she turned in Diani's cross to surprise Holmgren and seal the win for Paris (3-0, 85').
The third goal was anything but insignificant, as it was the first time in history that the club from the capital has scored three goals against OL. The Paris Saint-Germain women's team has thus brilliantly booked their ticket for the quarter-finals of the competition, that will take place on the first weekend of March. Next step for the team is a trip to Guingamp for matchday 14 of D1, on Saturday 5 February at 14:30 at the EAG training centre stadium in Pabu.