February 01, (THEWILL) – Following a 0-0 draw at Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated from the Coupe de France, losing 6-5 on penalties against Nice.
Marcin Bulka was the hero in the shoot-out, saving kicks from Leandro Paredes and Xavi Simons to send the visitors into the quarter-finals and knock out the defending champions parading a team featuring Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Bulka, a PSG loanee to Nice, interrupted the holders’ 14-match winning streak in the competition, putting an end to their hopes of winning for the third time in a row. For the first time since losing 1-0 to Lille in the 2011 final, Mauricio Pochettino’s team failed to score in a Coupe de France match.
PSG welcomed Messi back into the starting lineup for the first time in a month, after going undefeated in their previous eight encounters with Nice across all competitions.
Argentina’s captain was involved in the hosts’ greatest chance of the first half, combining with Ander Herrera to set up Marco Verratti, who swung a shot just wide of the far post.
On the other end, Amine Gouiri tried his luck with a long-range attempt, but it soared right into Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arms.
Just after the restart, the Italy international was called into action again, demonstrating quick reflexes to deny Justin Kluivert from a tight angle.
Pochettino introduced Mbappe from the bench for the Frenchman’s 200th PSG appearance in the 63rd minute as his team failed to muster a single attempt on target.
But it was the visitors who came close to grabbing a dramatic winner, with Danilo Pereira denying Kluivert with five minutes left and Jean-Clair Todibo preventing Messi’s goalbound shot at the opposite end from stealing into the net.
The first five kicks of the ensuing shoot-out were successful, but Bulka saved Paredes’ weak effort, while Donnarumma denied Andy Delort immediately.
Before Simons’ attempt was knocked away by Bulka, Dante’s timely Panenka put Nice in charge as it headed into sudden death and they were able to see it through to the end and claim a very massive victory over Les Princes.
PSG’s most recent Coupe de France defeat came in the 2019 final, when they were defeated by Rennes in a penalty shootout. In the last eight, Nice will face Marseille, who last won the title in 1997.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
