French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain won the French League Cup after defeating rivals Lyon 6-5 on post-match penalties at the Stade de France in Paris.
This was the final League Cup match as the French football league (LFP) had voted to ‘suspend’ the competition from 2021 to reduce the season schedule.
Burkina Faso striker Bertrand Traore missed his spot-kick for Lyon after the penalty shootout went into sudden death as both teams successfully converted their first five spot-kicks. Pablo Sarabia netted the winning penalty for PSG who won their fourth treble in the last six years.
Cameroonian striker Karl Toko Ekambi was on target to score Lyon’s second penalty.
The match finished goalless in both normal and extra time with Lyon completing the game with 10 men after Brazilian defender Rafael was sent off in the 119th minute for a foul on Angel Di Maria.
After the match, Lyon defender Marcelo Guedes came to Traore’s defence saying that Lyon’s loss was not down to one person.
“Bertrand Traore was unlucky in the shootout. We win together and lose together. That’s a real team; it’s not one person’s fault.”
The defeat means that unless Lyon wins this season’s Champions League, they will miss out on European football for the first time in 24 years. Failure to win the Champions League means Lyon will also go another season without any silverware; they last won a trophy, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions, in 2012.
Lyon will face Italian champions Juventus in Turin in their Champions League last 16 second leg on July 7. Lyon will defend a slender 1-0 advantage having played only one competitive match since early March.
