PSG defeat Lille to reach Coupe de la Ligue final
French Coupe de la Ligue holders Paris Saint-Germain moved to within one win of retaining the trophy as a first-half goal from defender Maxwell gave them a 1-0 semi-final victory at Lille.
The French champions dominated affairs with the bulk of possession and mustered the only goal of the match on 27 minutes when Brazilian fullback Maxwell blasted a fierce shot into the corner leaving Lille's Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama no chance.
Laurent Blanc's side will play either Monaco or Bastia, who meet at the Louis II stadium on Wednesday, in the 11 April final at the Stade de France. The victory keeps PSG on track for a quartet of trophies with a UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea on 17 February and a last-16 Coupe de France fixture against Nantes lying ahead.
The capital club also have the chance to go top of Ligue 1 on Sunday when they attempt to overturn a two-point deficit on Lyon when the teams meet at the Stade Gerland. Rene Girard's Lille side were out of their depth against the star-studded PSG line-up who put a first choice team out including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva and David Luiz.
The hosts hardly conjured up a second half opportunity as reserve 'keeper Nicolas Douchez, standing in for Salvatore Sirigu, enjoyed a relaxed evening in the away goal. Lucas and Cavani played a role in the winner with the Uruguayan marksman sliding the ball across to Maxwell who made no mistake from the edge of the penalty box.