PSG wins French League Cup

Paris St-Germain won the French
League Cup for a record fourth time
as Edinson Cavani's double helped
them to a 2-1 win over Lyon.
Cavani opened the scoring from close
range after 178 seconds, the second
fastest goal in a Coupe de la Ligue final.
Alex had a goal disallowed for offside
before Cavani doubled the lead from the
penalty spot at Stade de France.
Alexandre Lacazette pulled a goal back
for Lyon with a low 20-yard finish.
They pushed on for a second but, despite
prolonged spells of pressure, rarely
threatened the all-important equaliser.
PSG, who are 10 points clear of second-
placed Monaco in Ligue 1, remain on
course for a domestic double but were
knocked out of the Champions League
quarter-finals by Chelsea. They lost to
Montpellier in the French Cup last-16
back in January.
The victory brings manager Laurent Blanc
his first major trophy at PSG, after
replacing Real Madrid-bound Carlo
Ancelotti in June. He had previously won
the competition with Bordeaux in 2009.
Lyon, meanwhile, become the first team
to have lost four French League Cup
finals - their only victory came back in
2001. Their hopes of winning it for a
second time were not looking good
within four minutes.
Maxwell cut inside from the left, chipped
the ball past keeper Anthony Lopes, and
Cavani beat his man to tap the ball into
an empty net.
The Uruguayan has scored 15 league
goals this season since signing from
Napoli for £55m in the summer but has
often played second choice to striker
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is Ligue 1's top
scorer with 25 goals.
But, with Ibrahimovic injured, Cavani got
the opportunity to play in his favoured
central role - rather than right in a three-
pronged attack - and almost doubled his
tally soon after with a fierce volley that
was well saved by Lopes.
Cavani was heavily criticised for missing a
good opportunity in PSG's Champions
League exit at Chelsea and he put in
another wasteful showing in the 1-0
defeat at Lyon a week ago.
It looked like being his night though
when, after former Chelsea defender
Alex had a goal disallowed for offside, he
made it 2-0 from the penalty spot,
finishing emphatically after Lucas was
taken out by Lopes.
Contact may have been made just
outside the penalty area but the
goalkeeper was nowhere near the ball as
he rashly charged out.
Cavani should have been celebrating a
first-half hat-trick but he fired over the
bar from eight yards with just Lopes to
beat, and PSG were almost made to rue
that miss as Lyon threatened a comeback
after the break.
Lacazette broke with the ball from the
halfway line, and beat two PSG
defenders, before firing low into the net
from 20 yards.
That goal came with 54 minutes gone
but they rarely looked like forcing extra-
time despite their fair share of
possession.