PSG end Quevilly dream to reach French Cup final

A second-half goal from Mevlut Erding fired Paris St Germain into the French Cup final with a 1-0 victory that broke the hearts of fourth division Normandy side Quevilly on Wednesday.

PSG booked their ticket to their 11th French Cup final at the Stade de France on May 1 where they meet fellow first division side Monaco, in a rematch of the 1985 final which the Riviera outfit won.

An extra-time goal by substitute Moussa Maazou earned Monaco a 1-0 victory over Lens on Tuesday that took them into the final after a tight, tense tie.

In a lacklustre first half, after missing four shots on goal in a ten minute period, Franco-Turkish striker Erding finally found the goal six minutes after returning to the pitch.

The Normandy outfit had looked set to open the scoring two minutes before the break only for PSG goalie Apoula Edel to push out a shot from midfielder Sebastien Vaugeois with the tips of his fingers.

The Parisians, who were playing without their fans who are banned from travelling with the team, avoided their first exit to a fourth division side since Clermont in 1997, as they bid to lift the French Cup for the eighth time.

“I have to pay tribute to these Quevilly players. They created problems for us and we had a lot of difficulty qualifying,” said PSG coach Antoine Kombouare.

“The hardest part was making the final. That was tough, complicated, it was a difficult season. I hope it will be a crowning moment in the final against Monaco.”

Kombouare added that PSG’s top scorer Erding had suffered a leg muscle injury which resulted in his substitution by Serbian striker Mateja Kezman six minutes after his goal and was not certain to be fit for Sunday’s league game against St. Etienne.

Quevilly coach Regis Brouard conceded: “We gave it everything we possibly could with what was available to us. PSG deserved their win but I have to congratulate my players as well.”

The adventure was over for Quevilly, finalists in 1927 and semi-finalists in 1968, who had claimed the scalps of top flight sides Rennes and Boulogne on their way to the final four.

Monaco and PSG are both bidding to finish their season with a title as they sit ninth and tenth respectively in the French league.