PSG claim final place

Paris Saint-Germain FC will take on second division side LB Châteauroux in the French Cup final on 29 May at the Stade de France.

UEFA Cup bow
PSG remain on course for their sixth French Cup triumph but but only made it through against FC Nantes Atlantique 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. In the other semi-final third division Dijon FC d'Or were beaten 2-0 by LB Châteauroux, who now look set for an unlikely European debut in next season's UEFA Cup.

Last-gasp equaliser
Last year's beaten finalists Nantes, who also lost in the League Cup final against FC Sochaux Montbéliard on penalties eleven days ago, fell behind against PSG on 50 minutes when Fabrice Fiorèse turned in a ball from Juan Pablo Sorín. However, in the second minute of added time Nantes defender Mario Yepes headed his side level.

M'Bami the hero
Neither the final seconds of normal time nor the additional 30 minutes produced a winning goal. It seemed the shoot-out was heading Nantes' way when Mikael Landreau saved early on. But first Frédéric Da Rocha was denied by PSG goalkeeper Lionel Létizi and although Bernard Mendy's effort was saved by Landreau, two Nantes penalties were struck over the bar leaving Modeste M'Bami to convert the capital side's winning kick.

Double dream
The victory keeps PSG's double hopes on course, as they trail Olympique Lyonnais by only three points in Ligue 1 with five games left, looking odds-on to clinch one of France's three UEFA Champions League berths.

Châteauroux delight
That would mean a UEFA Cup place regardless of the final result for Châteauroux, whose victory against Dijon was secured by goals at either end of the first half by midfield player Sébastien Roudet and striker Marc-Eric Guei.