LYON, France: Paris Saint-Germain crushed Monaco 4-1 to win the French League Cup on Saturday for a record fourth straight year and seventh time overall.
Monaco has been one of Europe’s best attacking teams, scoring a whopping 130 goals in all competitions, but this time poor defending allowed PSG to dictate a one-sided final.
“I’m happy for the trophy and for the fact we showed a rival (Monaco) that we could play well,” PSG coach Unai Emery said. “It’s good for our motivation and our confidence.”
PSG remained on course to defend its domestic treble from last season.
“When we play with the character we showed today, it’s difficult for teams to play against us, even Monaco,” PSG center half Thiago Silva said.
Both sides are in the French Cup quarterfinals next week, and Monaco leads the French league, three points ahead of PSG, with eight games left.
“Every competition is different. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to play as well in the league because we lost this game,” Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim said. “It’s a good experience for a lot of our players, who had never played in a final.”
Striker Edinson Cavani scored twice to set a new personal season best with 40 goals, but was quick to praise his teammates.
“We played with humility, consistency and a sense of sacrifice,” Cavani said.
He volleyed in PSG’s third goal after an exquisite pass from midfielder Marco Verratti to beat his previous best of 38 with Napoli in the 2012-13 season — just before he joined PSG for a French transfer record of 64 million euros ($68 million). He hit a clinical half-volley in the last minute from Angel Di Maria’s superb cross from the left.
Cavani also missed an open goal and had a first-half chance brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, but the striker has largely carried PSG with his goals and he has excelled since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left for Manchester United.
Winger Julian Draxler opened the scoring for PSG in the fourth minute, collecting an unselfish pass from Di Maria for an easy tap in, and returned the favor when he set up Di Maria to make it 2-1 just before halftime.
Attacking midfielder Thomas Lemar gave Monaco hope when he scored the goal of the game in the 27th, a brilliant curling shot from the edge of the area that wrong-footed goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Monaco was missing top scorer Radamel Falcao through injury and key midfielder Fabinho through suspension. Fabinho’s absence was more keenly felt.
“We really weren’t expecting this,” Monaco midfielder Nabil Dirar said. “Perhaps we showed them too much respect, we let them play, they gained in confidence and we paid the price. “
Marseille 1 Dijon 1: France playmaker Dimitri Payet scored with a superb curling free kick as Marseille salvaged a home draw.
After midfielder Gregory Certic’s own goal gave Dijon the lead in first-half injury time, Payet replied three minutes after the break. Some 30 meters from goal, Payet whipped a shot into the left corner with hardly any run up.
Bastia 0 Lille 1: Bastia moved closer to the second division while Lille moved further away from the relegation zone, climbing up to 13th place.
PSG wins French League Cup for record 4th straight year
PSG wins French League Cup for record 4th straight year
Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh
- Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
- Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly
RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup.
It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition.
Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.
Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.
Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.
They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.
Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.
Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.
Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.
Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.
Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.
