The essay of someone who wants to make history quickly
The decisive game. This was how PSG presented their match this Saturday against Reims, counting towards the final of the Coupe de France. This message could be considered a “politically correct” phrase, given that we are talking about a club that has achieved domestic hegemony over the last decade and that, in a week’s time, faces the Champions League final against Inter Milan. However, in a club coached by Luis Enrique and that is now worth more for its collective than for its individual performance, winning all the trophies is the main objective. To do so, the rouge et bleu had to beat Reims who, despite having finished third from bottom in Ligue 1 and still having to face the relegation playoff , beat teams such as Monaco (1-1, 3-1 GP) and Angers (1-1, 3-5 GP).
“Playing in the Coupe de France final is very special. There is a big stadium, two groups of fans, it will certainly be a special match. It is not difficult to be motivated. There will be no players thinking about the next final. From day one, our main objective has been to make history. Having the opportunity to win these two finals was our goal. All that is left is to put the cherry on the cake. We are cautious, calm and must remain focused on what has brought us here. We have not changed our mentality or methodology. At the moment, the most important final is the one we are going to play against Reims. We have not won a game against them this season. We have drawn two games and, if we look at the last six games, we have only won one and drawn five”, said Enrique.
“Of course we are not favourites. We talk about the Cup of surprises, but that usually happens in the first round. It is very rare for there to be this kind of surprise in the final. But anything is possible, because it is a football match, against the best in Europe. It is up to us to be on the same level as our opponent and the competition, which we must respect and, above all, to enjoy the moment. We are having a difficult season and it is a breath of fresh air to play these types of matches. The only thing we ask of the players is to have fun, to try hard and, above all, to not have any regrets. We hope to play as serious a match as possible, to show a good image of Reims and, above all, the best version of our team”, predicted Samba Diawara, coach of the rouge et blanc, who have Aurélio Buta in their ranks.
Après une longue quete, Parisiens et Rémois ont trouvé le ????????????́???????????? so many convoité… more a seoul camp shared avec ????✨
Rendez-vous ce soir pour la ????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ⚔️ #PSGSDR | #CoupeDeFrance pic.twitter.com/qwQ3YFKSXS
— Coupe de France (@coupedefrance) May 24, 2025
In the starting lineups, Matvei Safonov was the big news for Luis Enrique, with the Catalan opting to keep the goalkeeper who has been playing in the Cup matches. Although Kvicha Kvaratskhelia is expected to start, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola were chosen to accompany Ousmane Dembélé in attack. As for the Portuguese, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and João Neves remained in the team, while Gonçalo Ramos was a substitute, as was Buta. As expected, the French champions came out very pressing, but took a while to find the space to create danger, given Reims' defensive posture. The first opportunity fell to Doué, who shot powerfully over the bar just outside the area (13').
Shortly afterwards, Doué found Barcola alone with a fantastic pass behind the defence, the French international took the ball and, with Yehvann Diouf coming off the line, scored the opening goal (16'). The protagonists repeated themselves three minutes later, with Marquinhos finding Doué unmarked on the right and laying the ball off to him, the young Frenchman crossed low to the far post and, completely alone, Barcola made it 2-0 (19'). Shortly afterwards, Dembélé appeared alone inside the area, but Diouf saved and, following the move, Barcola shot over (32'). The game continued to be anarchic and, towards the end of the first half, Dembélé found space inside the area, unleashed a low shot, but the ball went just wide (41'). In the next move, Barcola changed roles and assisted Achraf Hakimi for the third goal with a cross to the far post (43′).
Barcola scores first at the Stade de France ???????? #sporttvportugal #FUTEBOLnaSPORTTV #CupofFrench #PSG #Reims pic.twitter.com/pDvNXBpTGH
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) May 24, 2025
All so simple ????
Barcola scores twice and makes it two for PSG ???? #sporttvportugal #FUTEBOLnaSPORTTV #CopadeFrança #PSG #Reims pic.twitter.com/MSgLb9opFQ
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) May 24, 2025
Hakimi makes it three ???? #sporttvportugal #FUTEBOLnaSPORTTV #CupofFrench #PSG #Reims pic.twitter.com/iYcXltkkfW
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) May 24, 2025
For the second half, Reims went into a management mode given the proximity of the decisive play-off match , making three changes straight away, with Gabriel Moscardo, Oumar Diakité and Ange Tia coming on. With the result highly favourable, the Parisians slowed down the pace of the match in the first phase. On the first occasion, Barcola appeared in space inside the area, on the left, and unleashed a powerful shot that was saved by Diouf (59'). Shortly afterwards it was Dembélé's turn to come close to scoring again, hitting the post (64'). For the final half, Ramos, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Senny Mayulu were Luis Enrique's bets, but the match remained quite calm, with both teams accepting the result and Reims finishing without a single goal opportunity (3-0).
PSG have now won the Coupe de France for the 16th time and have once again moved further ahead of Marseille at the top of the competition's tally, now with six more trophies than Marseille (ten). This is the second consecutive season in which the Parisian team has achieved the domestic treble, adding the Cup to the Championship and the Super Cup. The Parisians have won eight of their last nine domestic titles and continue to dominate French football. Next up is the big objective of the season: the Champions League.
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Victory 3-0 for @PSG_inside against Reims in the finale! ????
Les Parisiens remportent read ???????????? ????????????????????????́???? in the competition ???? #PSGSDR | #CoupeDeFrance pic.twitter.com/zhMlMLzT4b
— Coupe de France (@coupedefrance) May 24, 2025
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