PARIS (AP) — Hviča Kvaratschelia scores twice as Paris Saint-Germain bounces back from Ligue 1. lost to lyon On Wednesday, they beat relegation-threatened Nantes 3-0.
PSG’s home victory, in a match postponed from mid-March to prepare them for their Champions League last-16 clash with Chelsea, keeps them four points above Reims with four rounds left in the French league.
Kvaratschelia scored the first goal from the penalty spot in the 13th minute. The ruling came after a VAR check awarded Nantes defender Frédéric Gilbert a handball penalty after Marquinhos’ header hit him in the arm.
After PSG failed to react to a free-kick, Louis Leroux thought he had leveled the score with a deflected ball, but a subsequent VAR decision also went against the visitors. After a long delay, the goal was ruled out for offside.
There was nothing wrong with Desiree Douai’s wonderful goal in the 37th, but Achraf Hakimi hit a powerful shot into the far corner from a difficult angle, sending it flying into left field.
Kvaratschelia scored his second goal after the break, evading two defenders before slotting the ball past Anthony Lopez and into the Nantes goal.
Gilbert caught Douai with a bad challenge in the closing stages, but the winger was able to continue.
Title holders PSG will face Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Paris on Tuesday.
crowd disturbance
There was a clash between Nantes supporters and stewards during the match, with stewards intervening to remove a huge banner unfurled by fans criticizing Qatar and the French league, which sponsor PSG.
“Qatar demands, LFP complies, France football suffers, we are fed up,” the banner read in large yellow capital letters before it was removed. Some fans set off flares, while others fought with the stewards.
french cup
Elie Wahi scored two goals (the second a penalty) to lead Strasbourg to a 2-0 victory over visiting Nice and a place in the French Cup final.
Strasbourg will face Reims in the final on May 22nd at the Stade de France. Reims beat Toulouse 4-1 in the first semifinal on Tuesday.
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