PSG recovers to a four-point lead in Ligue 1; Strasbourg reaches French Cup final

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain bounced back from their Ligue 1 defeat to Lyon with a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Nantes on Wednesday.

PSG’s home win – in a match postponed from mid-March to allow the team to better prepare for the Champions League last-16 match against Chelsea – puts the team four points above Lens with four rounds of the French league to go.

Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 13th minute. The award was awarded after a VAR check penalized Nantes defender Frédéric Guilbert for handball as Marquinhos’ header brushed his arm.

Louis Leroux thought he had equalized when he shot in a loose ball after PSG had failed to process a free kick, but the next VAR decision also went against the visitors. After a long delay, the goal was disallowed for offside.

There was nothing wrong with Desiré Doué’s brilliant goal in the 37th, as Achraf Hakimi played him through before launching a fierce strike from a difficult angle into the far corner.

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Kvaratskhelia grabbed his second after the break, weaved past two defenders and poked the ball past Anthony Lopes in the Nantes goal.

Guilbert caught Doué late with a poor challenge, but the winger was able to continue.

PSG, the title holder, will face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League in Paris on Tuesday.

There were clashes during the match between Nantes supporters and stewards, who intervened to remove huge banners unfurled by fans that were critical of PSG supporter Qatar and the French league.

“Qatar demands, the LFP obeys, French football suffers, we are tired of you,” the banners read in large yellow capital letters before being removed. Some fans lit torches, while others fought with the stewards.

Elye Wahi scored twice – the second a penalty – to guide Strasbourg to the French Cup final with a 2-0 win over Nice.

Strasbourg will play Lens at the Stade de France on May 22, after Lens defeated Toulouse 4-1 in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

Published on April 23, 2026