PSG through to League Cup final

Thursday, 1 February 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Paris (Reuters): Holders Paris St Germain reached the League Cup final with a 3-2 victory at Stade Rennes on 30 January although their France striker Kylian Mbappe was sent off just past the hour mark.

PSG, aiming for a fifth straight League Cup triumph, had taken a 3-0 lead through Thomas Meunier, Marquinhos and Giovani Lo Celso when Mbappe was shown a straight red card.

Rennes reduced the arrears, thanks to late goals by Diafra Sakho and Sanjin Prcic, but it was too late to stop PSG.

They went ahead in the 24th minute when full back Meunier struck a spectacular volley before Rennes’ Wahbi Khazri was denied an equaliser on the stroke of halftime for handball.

The visitors doubled their advantage nine minutes into the second half when Marquinhos scored from close range.

Four minutes later, Lo Celso scored PSG’s third goal when his shot was poorly handled by keeper Abdoulaye Diallo.

Mbappe was sent off in the 63rd for a rough tackle on Ismaila Sarr and the 10 men allowed Sakho and Prcic to pull two goals back in the last five minutes but it was too late.