PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN saw their 43-match winning run in domestic cup competitions come to an end tonight as Thomas Tuchel’s men suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Ligue 1 bottom club Guingamp in the French League Cup quarter-finals.
It was only a second defeat in all competitions this season for the capital club, after a 3-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League last September.
Guingamp, who have won just two league games all season, join Monaco, Strasbourg and Bordeaux in the semi-finals.
Neymar broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute after Marcus Thuram missed from the spot, but Guingamp rallied, with Thuram’s successful injury-time penalty snatching victory with a shootout looming.
En Avant de Guingamp / Twitter
En Avant de Guingamp / Twitter / Twitter
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel named a strong starting XI including Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Angel Di Maria, but a drab first half in the capital failed to produce a single shot on target from either side.
The reigning French champions had extended their cup winning streak at the weekend against fifth-tier Pontivy, but Guingamp were awarded a penalty on the hour mark when Ludovic Blas was tripped by PSG full-back Thomas Meunier.
Forward Thuram blazed his effort from 12 yards well over the top of the crossbar, and it appeared as though the opportunity of an upset had passed Guingamp by when Neymar headed home a Meunier cross less than two minutes later.
But the away side managed to stay in the game and were handed another penalty nine minutes from time when Marcus Coco was bundled over by Juan Bernat, and Congolese international Yeni Ngbakoto made no mistake after a lengthy VAR delay.
With the game set for penalties after 90 minutes, Guingamp landed a decisive blow on the counter-attack, as Thilo Kehrer fouled Thuram, and this time the 21-year-old squeezed the ball under the diving Alphonse Areola in the PSG net.
© AFP 2019
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