April 04, (THEWILL) – Kylian Mbappe was the hero as his goal earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-0 victory over Rennes in the Coupe de France semi-finals on Wednesday night. The French superstar netted his 39th goal of the 2023/2024 campaign to book PSG’s place in the final against Lyon in May.
Just before half-time at the Parc des Princes, Mbappe was brought down in the box by Warmed Omari and the referee pointed to the spot. However, Mbappe saw his resulting penalty saved by the outstanding Steve Mandanda in the Rennes goal. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old made amends within minutes, cutting onto his right foot and finding the net via a deflection.
Rennes had begun brightly, with Arnaud Kalimuendo forcing a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma early on after Mbappe had struck the crossbar at the other end. The visitors pushed for an equaliser after the break too, but Amine Gouiri dragged their best chance wide.
Mbappe continued to torment Mandanda in the second half, with the veteran goalkeeper making further crucial stops to keep Rennes in the contest. Ultimately though, Kylian’s first-half strike proved decisive as PSG reached their first Coupe de France final since 2020/2021.
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.
