Wasquehal vs. PSG: Winners and Losers from French Cup Game

Paris Saint-Germain sealed their place in the 10th round of the Coupe de France with a 1-0 win over ES Wasquehal on Sunday afternoon.

Playing against a side from the fourth tier, Laurent Blanc's team struggled to find a way past a resolute and well-organised unit.

Going into the game, it was always going to be a no-win situation for the Ligue 1 leaders. They are always expected to win comfortably, especially against a side from that far down the pyramid, so a failure to perform would've seen the knives come out.

In comparison to the English league system, Wasquehal are not the equivalent of a side from League Two; with their amateur status and the regional league that they play in, they're more equal to a seventh-tier, Evo-Stik League outfit.

That all said, PSG were poor throughout the majority of the game, saved when Romain Samson rushed out of his goal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic met Marco Verratti's deep cross to head the ball over the 'keeper and into the empty net.

Blanc started the game with his side lined up in a narrow 4-4-2, and it played into the home side's lap, making it easy for them to stay narrow and disciplined.

Resting some of his first-choice XI, Blanc gave Presnel Kimpembe, Adrien Rabiot, Benjamin Stambouli and Jean-Kevin Augustin a place from the start. However, none of them impressed and should be disappointed with their performances.

Here are the winners and losers from PSG's 1-0 win over Wasquehal.

Back to full fitness and at the heart of everything PSG creates, it was no surprise Italian midfielder Marco Verratti had a hand in the Ligue 1 side's only goal of the game.

His cross from deep on the right picked out Ibrahimovic, but his contribution was felt throughout the whole game. Always available, always willing, it wasn’t quite Verratti at his best, but without him PSG would have struggled.

This was a chance for the 18-year-old forward Jean-Kevin Augustin to show Blanc what he is capable of, but the teenager failed to deliver.

He has only made one start in the league, and Augustin’s performance is unlikely to have convinced his coach he is worthy of more just yet.

The forward had a great opportunity in the first half when a Layvin Kurzawa low cross picked him out just six yards from goal, but he could only skew the shot wide.

Throughout the game, his touch lacked quality, and there were too many moments when he looked sluggish and off the pace.

Despite that one moment of madness when Romain Samson rushed out of his net and couldn’t stop Ibrahimovic making contact with the tie-winning header, the Wasquehal goalkeeper had an excellent game between the posts.

Every time one of the PSG forwards broke through the ESW defence, Samson was there to make a last-ditch clearance. The 28-year-old was so close to recording a clean sheet and should hold his head high.

After making a lot of noise that he should be starting more games for PSG this season, Sunday was a chance for Adrien Rabiot to take control of a game and back up his words with action.

There was one good over-the-top pass in the first half that caused the Wasquehal defence problems, but apart from that, it was a mediocre display from the 20-year-old. Blanc obviously wasn’t convinced, either, taking off the midfielder on the 58th minute for Lucas Moura.

Against a team so far from PSG’s level, Rabiot needs to walk the walk rather than just running his mouth.