Captain Thiago Silva showed the wasteful Edinson Cavani how to do it with two crashing headers as holders Paris Saint-Germain surged into the semi-finals of the French League Cup with a 2-0 win over Metz on Wednesday.
Also into the last four are Nancy, Monaco and Bordeaux, who won their quarter-final 3-2 at home to Guingamp earlier in the evening. Home side PSG were all over Metz, struggling near the bottom of Ligue 1, from the off and should have been 2-0 ahead after a quarter of an hour.
Both times it was striker Cavani who was wasteful, heading wide from near the penalty spot and then minutes later seeing his shot from point-blank range saved by the legs of goalkeeper David Oberhauser.
Angel Di Maria was the next one guilty of profligacy, attempting to set up Cavani with a panenka-style pass when a simple cross would have sufficed. The pressure finally told shortly before the half-hour mark when Brazilian defender Silva, a doubt coming into the quarter-final, rose to thump home a header from a Di Maria corner. Metz offered nothing as an attacking force and had just one shot on goal in the first half.
The second half was more of the same. Cavani missed another easy header, this time from a Di Maria clipped cross, on 50 minutes and a minute later the increasingly influential Argentine winger Di Maria had an effort cleared off the line.
Di Maria was heavily involved again after the hour, his run ending up with Cavani — the top scorer in French Ligue 1 — having yet another chance saved. On 72 minutes the hosts finally sealed the game with their second — and it was Silva again with the header, this time from a bending Di Maria set piece.
There was still time for Uruguayan striker Cavani to miss when he should have scored, volleying over from another Di Maria cross on 78 minutes. PSG coach Unai Emery subbed the 29-year-old Cavani two minutes later.
French League Cup Results
Paris Saint-Germain 2 (Thiago Silva 27, 72) Metz 0; Bordeaux 3 (Kamano 16, Laborde 36, 65) Guingamp 2 (Privat 11, Benezet 88); Nantes 0 Nancy 2 (Dale 31, Cuffaut 45+3); Sochaux 1 (Andriatsima 17) Monaco 1 (Moutinho 83) Monaco win 4-3 on penalties
