It might just have been the evening that the season turned back in favour of Paris Saint-Germain. French treble winners in each of the last two campaigns, Unai Emery’s men have scooped the first major silverware of 2016-17 by defeating Monaco 4-1 in the Coupe de la Ligue final.
Julian Draxler got the ball rolling early when he tapped home from an Angel Di Maria pass, though he will be glad there was no video referee in the stands, as his effort would have been ruled out for a clear offside. And though Thomas Lemar hit back, Di Maria gave PSG the lead at the break, before their efficiency shone in the second half as Edinson Cavani scored with two thumping close-range finishes.
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“This was more than just a trophy against a very good Monaco side,” Layvin Kurzawa told Canal+. “Now there are other competitions and we’re going to do our best to win them.”
Kurzawa is right, this was not about one game, this was about the final weeks of the season. PSG showed their full might and asserted their dominance over the pretenders to their throne.
The capital side may have now won seven consecutive domestic trophies but their dominance of the domestic game has been put under scrutiny by an effervescent Monaco side who continue to lead them by three points in Ligue 1 and remain in the Champions League – a competition that the capital side slumped embarrassingly out of following a 6-1 away defeat to Barcelona.
Progress to the semi-finals of that competition was demanded on Emery, who in his first season at Parc des Princes is now chasing the treble just to hold onto his job following that chastening night in Catalunya.
Monaco were expected to put up a strong fight at Parc OL, but while there is little doubt that they were lively opponents, their youthful exuberance was quelled by the more battled-hardened side from the north.
PSG did not win this match due to a superiority in technical ability. Indeed, both sides were evenly matched in this regard. Instead, they can pin this success down to experience and the shrewd tactical approach employed by those in their dugout.
It was a victory born in the centre of the park, where the trio of Thiago Motta, Adrien Rabiot and Verratti outmatched their opponents, who sorely missed the suspended Fabinho.
The Italian, in particular, was magisterial, showing the kind of poise on the ball that has made people tout him as a successor to Xavi at Barcelona. Although the hard work of those alongside him was vital in preventing Tiemoue Bakayoko and Joao Moutinho settling.
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And while Cavani took his goals supremely well – let’s forget about his contender for miss of the season in between times – at the other end of the field, Thiago Silva was at his best to shut out Kylian Mbappe. It was clear the teenager had the tricks and speed to trouble the Brazilian, but he has not yet have the matched awareness and was caught out by the gamesmanship employed by the former AC Milan man.
If Silva’s display against Barcelona had been half as good, his side surely would surely have a Champions League quarter-final to look forward to.
Victory, particularly one so emphatic, should have a galvanising effect on a team that had been rocking. It was the kind of swaggering display of champions.
PSG looked a team that did not mind being put under pressure; they looked comfortable with their ability to soak up what Monaco could throw at them, safe in the knowledge that they would be able to counter and pose a greater threat at the other end of the field. And that is exactly what happened.
How this win affects the destination of the Ligue 1 title, the true prize that both these clubs are duelling over, remains to be seen.
Monaco’s squad is exceptionally young and has no pedigree of winning titles. They did not exactly look nervous in the face of their Parisian counterparts on Saturday, but they did not carry the assurance that one has associated with them throughout the campaign.
“We really didn’t expect that,” Nabil Dirar told Canal+ after the game. “We could have done better. We showed them too much respect. We let them play, they gained confidence. When you give confidence to a team like that, you pay.”
When their self-belief has wavered previously, they have always responded positively. Their most notable defeats came against Nice (4-1) and Manchester City (5-3), but on both occasions the response was emphatic.
Lille await them in the Coupe de France quarter-final on Tuesday, but it is next Saturday’s match against Angers that will really be telling as to their state of mind.
By the time that PSG host Guingamp, the last side to beat them in Ligue 1, on Sunday, they will have a good deal more idea just how their title rivals are feeling. There is no doubt the mood in the Parisians’ camp, though; they are on a high and have their taste for glory back.
Winning the Coupe de la Ligue might just have been the catalyst they needed for another sweep of the honours.
