After Saki Kumagai's penalty cancelled out Cristiane's superb opener, Lyon were able to edge Paris from the spot, penalties required to separate the pair after 90 minutes in the Coupe de France final.

Paris strike early

Picking up where they left off from their last meeting a week ago in Lyon, the hosts started off on the front foot, keeping the Parisien defence honest, midfield and defence standing up and not letting white shirts through. An early corner saw a chance for PSG to counter, Cristiane off running a shade ahead of Amel Majri, with only one thing in her mind the Brazilian let fly from outside the area to the far top corner. Cup goalie, Méline Gérard’s first action of the final to pluck the ball out of her goal, the ‘keeper left with no hope of stopping Cristiane’s stunner.

Whilst PSG defended well and didn’t offer much in the way of time or space to the champions, Lyon weren’t making things easy for themselves, their passing obvious and wayward. The frustration soon began to tell and both teams were left guilty of needless, niggly fouls, Paris growing more confident in the game, though still seeing less of the ball, they looked more likely going forward.

Parity with a penalty

Still seeing more of the ball, Lyon kept trying to get forward and a deft take-down from Eugénie Le Sommer in the box, earned her team a corner half an hour in. Play immediately halted as Dzsenifer Marozsán delivered the dead-ball, referee Solen Dallongeville only with eyes for the wrestling match between Shirley Cruz and Le Sommer. The PSG captain guilty of wrestling her former teammate to the ground, zero hesitation from Dallongeville as she pointed to the spot.

From looking blunted and disjointed in attack, Lyon had the perfect chance to draw level, unexpectedly through Saki Kumagai, the Japanese international ever reliable from the spot. Tensions already frayed in the match as Katarzyna Kiedrzynek held the match up, first refusing to relinquish the ball before inching back to her line, Dallongeville in no mood for her time-wasting. The Pole came off of her line well, following Kumagai’s penalty, unperturbed by her stuttered run-up, the ball able to squirm underneath the ‘keeper as it bounced off of her ribs and against the inside of the crossbar before dropping home.

The goal helped settle Lyon who began to go forward with more purpose, the Parisiens ruffled by conceding their advantage, their own efforts at getting forward looking less and less fruitful. Even in a first-half of little chances or real quality from either, the French champions still lucky to be level.

Second half tight

The stilted nature of the game followed into the second-half, the first real chance of the match from open play for Lyon coming ten minutes after the restart when Ada Hegerberg drew a smart save from Kiedrzynek. The Norwegian international at her liveliest all night, desperate to poke the rebound home with both her and the keeper left on the turf, the PSG defence able to clear with ease. Although the wind continued to blow in favour of Les Fenottes; Elodie Thomis, Le Sommer and Hegerberg all making their presence known after the break, the game coming to be more of what has been seen before when these two sides have met.

A late rally saw the Parisiens come close, firm defending from Kadeisha Buchanan enough to keep substitute, Ouleymata Sarr out. Patrice Lair rolled the dice for one last time ten minutes from time with his third substitute, Veronica Boquete sent on to help the Northern team find a winner. The late pressure not enough to find a way through as Lyon camped out in the attacking half for the lengthy stoppage time, penalties the only way to wrench the two apart.

Toe-to-toe

First up was captain Sabrina Delannoy, having already shown her steel from the spot this year, she made no mistakes, planting the ball into the right corner, Gérard unable to get near enough (1-0).

Unmoved by the clinical penalty take before her, Majri followed Delannoy’s line and planted the ball into the same corner, again, the ‘keeper near but not near enough (1-1).

Having seen both before her go bottom right, Marie-Laure Delie was in no mood to buck the trend and easily sent Gérard the wrong way (2-1).

The first to aim into the left side of the net, Le Sommer too sent the ‘keeper the wrong way, her clinical strike enough to beat Kiedrzynek had she guessed correctly anyway (2-2).

Up against her former club, Eve Perisset made no mistakes, digging the ball even deeper into the bottom left corner than Le Sommer, Gérard too sent the wrong way (3-2).

The sixth penalty in the shoot-out one of the lest clinical but with Kiedrzynek already diving into the left side of the net, it was no trouble for Wendie Renard to thump her spot-kick to the right (3-3).

The clinical penalties didn’t stop there and Formiga was equally as deadly from 12-yards, Gérard once more diving the wrong way with the ball buried to the left (4-3).

Like her fellow defender, Griedge Mbock couldn’t find a corner but with the ‘keeper quick to go the wrong way, the centre-back was free to send her ball into the much-favoured right side of the goal (4-4).

Irene Paredes had the unfortunate honour of being the first to miss from the spot, getting under the ball too much she sent her penalty spinning over the bar as all eyes fell to who was up next (4-4).

Having already had a close-shave from the spot in the match, Kumagai showed little in the way of nerves as she took aim, Kiedrzynek quick to follow her line from earlier in the match and dive to her left. Kumagai’s penalty driven towards the bottom right corner, her teammates all ready to celebrate as the ball cannoned against the face of the post and back into the six-yard box (4-4).

Thrilling finale

Nerves shredded as the two moved to sudden death, Boquete sent the ball low and central, Gérard already on her way towards the left corner, (5-4).

With little time to make a joke about Germans being a safe bet from the spot, Marozsán had already rifled the ball into the bottom right corner, once more the goalkeeper opting to cover the wrong side of their goal (5-5).

Only the fourth player to take aim to the left, Aminata Diallo followed the pattern of superbly clinical penalties, again Gérard sent the wrong way, not that she could have stopped the bullet from the substitute (6-5).

A run-up followed by an immediate stop, Camilie Abily pointed at the rolling ball as the tension at the Stade de la Rabine continued to tighten, fingernails bitten down to the bone as Abily replaced the ball, Kiedrzynek back to her line. Nonplussed by the semi-retake, the French international mirrored Diallo before her and placed the ball perfectly into the bottom corner, the goalkeeper as close as she could have been (6-6).

With the feeling that the two teams would be there all night, Sarr gave Lyon a light at the end of the tunnel, her low penalty more middling than clinical, Méline Gérard able to bring the ball under control as she followed it rightwards (6-6).

A peripheral figure in the final, Hegerberg was tasked with taking the sixteenth and final penalty of the shoot-out, memories of the 2015-16 UWCL final flooding back to the fans as the rangy Norwegian made contact with the ball. Kiedrzynek beaten for a final time as the ball whistled high into the net, almost dead centre (6-7).

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About the author
Sophie Lawson
Neutral football fan travelling around Europe, covering matches and bothering footballers for interviews