By Olaitan Ibrahim
Paris Saint-Germain delivered a commanding performance on Saturday, brushing aside Stade de Reims 3–0 in the Coupe de France final to secure their third domestic title of the season and boost confidence ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League final.
The Ligue 1 champions, who had already claimed the French Super Cup earlier in the season, made light work of relegation-threatened Reims at the Stade de France, clinching a record-extending 16th French Cup title — all within the first 45 minutes.
Manager Luis Enrique fielded a near full-strength side, with Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov preferred over Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Desire Doue replacing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia just before kickoff.
According to a source, despite Reims registering the first shot on target — a harmless long-range strike from Amadou Kone — PSG dominated from start to finish.
Their relentless attacking play was rewarded in the 16th minute when Doue released Bradley Barcola, who cut inside and buried a clinical strike into the bottom corner.
Barcola doubled his tally just three minutes later, this time capping off a slick team move initiated by captain Marquinhos and finished with a precise low cross from Doue.
“We got off to a good start and got the job done quickly. We set a lot of pace, both defensively and offensively, and it paid off,” Barcola told France 2.
Ousmane Dembélé came close to adding a third, but his effort was denied by a strong save from Yehvann Diouf. However, just before the interval, Barcola turned provider, threading a pinpoint pass across goal for Achraf Hakimi to slot home at the far post.
PSG maintained control in the second half, with Safonov largely untested as his side pushed for more goals.
Diouf was again called into action to deny Joao Neves and a close-range attempt by Barcola, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
The win sets PSG up for a potentially historic climax to their campaign. The Parisian giants will face Inter Milan in next Saturday’s Champions League final in Munich, aiming to lift Europe’s most coveted club trophy for the first time.
“We knew we had to get the job done today to prepare well for the final, and we did it. Now, we will arrive at the next match with confidence,” Barcola added.