Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty in the first half but then scored a goal with a shot that deflected off a defender as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Rennes 1-0 to advance to the French Cup final on Wednesday.
PSG will compete for its 15th French Cup title when it plays against Lyon on May 25 in Lille. Rennes had beaten PSG in the 2019 final, with Mbappé being sent off for a rough tackle in extra time. In the first half on Wednesday, Rennes seemed to have control of the game at Parc des Princes.
Mbappé didn’t have much impact on the game until he earned a penalty by going down in the penalty area. However, veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda saved Mbappé’s penalty in the 37th minute.
Just three minutes later, Mbappé scored a goal from a counterattack, but the shot deflected off a defender and went past Mandanda.
Mandanda made another good save from Mbappé early in the second half, but Rennes couldn’t create enough chances to trouble Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG goal. PSG, led by coach Luis Enrique, is still in contention for three trophies this season.
PSG is currently leading the French league by 12 points with seven rounds left to play and will face Barcelona, Enrique’s former club, in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The first leg of the match will be played in Paris next Wednesday.
