:Paris St Germain booked their place in the last 16 of the French Cup on Wednesday with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over fifth-tier side FC Espaly.
Espaly sprang an early surprise when Kevis Gjeci capitalised on a mistake by Arnau Tenas to score inside three minutes. PSG dominated but could not find the breakthrough and midfielder Fabian Ruiz looked to have levelled in the 20th minute, only for his goal to be disallowed for offside.
Luis Enrique’s side finally equalised in the 37th minute when Warren Zaire-Emery unleashed a stunning long-range strike.
Espaly goalkeeper Jordan Etienne put in an impressive performance after the break but was unable to prevent Desire Doue from scoring in the 67th minute. The hosts pulled one back four minutes later through Maxence Fournel.
“It was complicated. We were taken by surprise right from the start. After that, we stayed serious, pushed hard and came back to score. We were able to score and be a little more effective, even though we missed a lot of chances,” Doue said.
PSG, determined to find a winner, continued to attack and with two minutes remaining Bradley Barcola was on hand to strike home Nuno Mendes’ cross. Goncalo Ramos added the icing on the cake with a penalty in stoppage time.
“We started the game badly and were taken by surprise. But fortunately we managed to get back on track a bit at the end and make up for it. All we can take away from today is the win,” Barcola said.
The next round of the French Cup will take place in February.
PSG are seven points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and travel to Lens on Saturday. They are also bidding to progress to the next round of the Champions League and face Premier League side Manchester City next week.
