Neymar Jr's penalty set holders Paris Saint-Germain on their way to a 2-0 win away to 10-man Amiens SC in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday.
Amiens SC 0 - 2 Paris Saint-Germain
THE MATCH
Edinson Cavani was again absent for PSG following his late return to France after the winter break, but without the Uruguayan the capital club had won 6-1 at Stade Rennais FC in the Coupe de France at the weekend and they coped once again here at the Stade de la Licorne.
Kylian Mbappé's pace tormented the home side and when the young forward was brought down by Régis Gurtner in the 34th minute, the Amiens goalkeeper was shown a straight red card.
Amiens, on the rebound from a painful 6-0 defeat at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard of Ligue 2 in the Coupe de France, held out with 10 men until the 53rd minute. That was when Neymar, who had gone down under a Thomas Monconduit challenge in the area, beat substitute goalkeeper Jean-Christophe Bouet from 12 yards.
Marquinhos hit the woodwork for the visitors before Adrien Rabiot put the outcome beyond doubt as he headed home at the near post from an Ángel di María corner, the ball striking the frame of the goal and then clearly crossing the line before Bouet could get a touch (78').
Serge Gakpé came close to grabbing a late consolation for Amiens, but they will now focus their efforts on beating the drop in the second half of the season, while PSG remain on course to win a fifth consecutive Coupe de la Ligue.
THE PLAYER: Kylian Mbappé
His terrifying pace was a real source of trouble for Amiens and it was he who was brought down by Gurtner, leading to the goalkeeper's sending-off. He may not have scored or set up a goal, but in drawing that foul Mbappé left Amiens fatally handicapped. It would have been hard enough for them with 11 men for the 90 minutes.
THE STAT: 1
Neymar has scored in his first appearance in every competition in which he has played for PSG - Ligue 1 Conforama, UEFA Champions League, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue. He now has 20 goals in total in a PSG shirt.