Kylian Mbappe made a triumphant return to Paris Saint-Germain’s starting eleven, finding the net and contributing to a 3-1 victory over Nice, propelling PSG into the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. 

The match, which took place on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes, saw Mbappé reinstated to the lineup by coach Luis Enrique, who made six changes to the team that previously drew with Reims in Ligue 1.

Mbappe wasted no time scoring immediately the game began, breaking the deadlock in the 14th minute, followed by Fabian Ruiz who added to PSG’s advantage shortly after.

Despite Gaetan Laborde’s goal to narrow the gap for Nice before halftime, Lucas Beraldo, the Brazilian defender, scored his inaugural goal for PSG, cementing their lead in the 60th minute. 

The victory sets the stage for the titleholders, who have claimed the Coupe de France a record 14 times, to face off against Rennes in at home on April 3 for the semi-final showdown. The other semi-final will see Lyon take on Valenciennes, a team from the second division, on the preceding day.

With a history of six Coupe de France triumphs over the past ten years, PSG has not managed to secure the title in the previous two seasons, with Toulouse being the most recent champions. The forthcoming final is scheduled to be held in Lille on May 25.

As always, Mbappe’s future at PSG has been a topic of speculation, with his contract set to expire at the season’s end and previous matches often seeing him as a substitute or not completing the full 90 minutes. 

Nevertheless, he played a pivotal role in PSG’s Champions League victory over Real Sociedad and coach Luis Enrique has expressed his intention to keep the French captain in the starting lineup for upcoming domestic cup matches.

The main talking point from the game was Beraldo’s debut goal. The 20-year-old defender has risen quickly to become a regular in the Paris side since he joined from Sao Paulo in the January transfer window.

Collins Nwokolo