SPORTFriday 20 April 2018

Al Duhail’s players and officials celebrate with the trophy after beating Al Rayyan 27-21 in the Qatar Cup final yesterday at Al Duhail Handball Sports Hall. Right: Action during the final.

It’s going to be a tough game. Al Rayyan are out of the AFC Champions League. Therefore, they want to satisfy their fans. But we are thinking about the semi-final at the moment. We will our best to win it: Al Sadd star Akram Afif

This is my first Qatar Cup with Al Rayyan, having played for Al Duhail earlier. So I wish to win this title, especially since we are out of the AFC Champions League: Al Rayyan star Ahmed Yasser

PAGE | 21 PAGE | 22Mbappe brace as PSG

reach French Cup final

Thiem stuns Djokovic to reach Monte Carlo quarter-finals

Al Sadd ready for title defence as Al Rayyan look to bounce backFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Reigning champions Al Sadd are roaring with confidence as they head into the first semi-final of Qatar Cup against wounded Al Rayyan at their backyard tomorrow.

Coached by Jesualdo Ferreira, ‘The Wolves’, who won the trophy last year by defeating now defunct El Jaish in the final, will enter the Al Sadd Stadium clash as favourites against ‘The Lions’ courtesy of their better run than their rivals this season.

Al Sadd (second) finished ahead of Al Rayyan (third) in the QNB Stars League (QSL) while Xavi Hernandez-led side also qualified for the knock-out stage of AFC Champions League. On the other hand, Michael Laudrup’s Al Rayyan endured a contrasting fate in the continental event failing to advance after defeat to Al Ain last Monday.

But despite holding an upper hand ahead of the semi-final, Fer-reira is not taking anything for granted against Al Rayyan.

“Everyone in the club gives much importance to the game against Al Rayyan. They know that it will be a tough game,” Al Sadd coach told a press conference at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday.

“We will do our best to achieve our target of reaching the final. We will be playing in the Emir’s Cup after this tournament and we hope we will succeed in both,” he said before adding there will be no room for complacency against ‘tough’ Al Rayyan.

“Al Rayyan are a big team.

Two seasons ago, they won the league (QSL) and most of the players who achieved it are still with them. So we won’t be com-placent,” he said.

Ferreira also expressed delight on his team’s performance lauding his players for making it to the last 16 stage of AFC Champions League.

“I am very happy the way team is performing. We’ve qual-ified for the AFC Champions League’s Round of 16 and we’re satisfied with our performance even though the knockout stage will be difficult. We go into all matches, especially in the Cup competitions, as if we are playing a final.

“In the Champions League, we have two games and we will work to win them. I pay tribute to the players who have made great progress knowing that the upcoming games will be difficult and require more focus.”

Meanwhile, Al Rayyan coach Laudrup admitted that failure to progress in the AFC Champions League has taken a toll in team and hoped his team will bounce back with a good performance at

Qatar Cup. “The loss against Al Ain is still hurting us as we were desperate to qualify for the AFC Champions League last 16 stage. But in football, you always have to look ahead and learn from the

past,” said Al Rayyan coach. “We have a strong game against Al Sadd and our matches always have a special flavour. We are now preparing the team to be at its best during this period.

“This is what the players know and we will work to equip the team so that it is at its best. I cannot prepare any result or expect it, but we can prepare to perform very well. I wish we

QATAR CUP

Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira (right) speaks during a press conference as star Akram Afif looks on yesterday. RIGHT: Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup gestures during a press conference. Defending champions Al Sadd and Al Rayyan will square off in the first semi-final of Qatar Cup tomorrow at Al Sadd Stadium. PICTURES: EBRAHIM KUTTY

Al Sadd are hoping to retain their Qatar Cup title.

convert the chances that we create into goals unlike what happened with us against Al Sadd earlier,” said Laudrup.

The former Denmark player disagreed with the notion that Al Rayyan fail in big matches.

“Be it in the league, AFC Champions League or Cup tournament, Al Rayyan have proved they are strong. It won’t be different this time. I promise that our players will bring out their best and I expect the game to be very strong. There are some small details that will determine the winners.

“As for my future with Al Rayyan, I am not worried about my contract ending at the end of the season. We will talk and decide my course.”

Tomorrow (7pm kick off) First semi-final: Al Sadd vs Al Rayyan at

Al Sadd Stadium

Sunday (7pm kick off) Second semi-final: Al Duhail vs Al Gharafa at

Al Sadd Stadium

FIXTURES

Handball: Al Duhail crowned Qatar Cup champs

Thiem stuns Djokovic to reach quarter-finals; Nadal through;;

22 FRIDAY 20 APRIL 2018SPORT

Austria’s Dominic Thiem hits a return to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during their Monte Carlo Masters third round match played at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Monte Carlo, Monaco yesterday. Thiem won 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-3.

QGF President honours winners as SOP gymnastics competitions concludeTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: The artistic gymnastics competitions for primary and preparatory schools (boys) at the prestigious 11th Schools Olympic Program 2018 (SOP) were successfully concluded on Wednesday.

Qatar Gymnastics Feder-ation President, Ali Al Hitmi

honoured the top winners during the presentation cer-emony which took a festive atmosphere on the final day.

The occasion was attended by students parents, teachers and coaches.

The SOP is held annually as a collaborative effort of Qatar School Sports Federation ( Q S S F ) a n d

Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with hun-dreds of student athletes com-peting from all over Qatar.

The SOP committee aims to spread a culture of sports throughout Qatar’s schools and to engage the entire community in active and healthy lifestyles while retaining local values and traditions.

Qatar Gymnastics Federation President, Ali Al Hitmi poses for a photograph with podium winners of artistic gymnastics competitions for primary and preparatory schools (boys) at the prestigious 11th Schools Olympic Program 2018 (SOP) during the presentation ceremony on Wednesday.

Al Arabi and Al Wakrah set for Emir Cup blockbuster

Al Arabi and Al Wakrah team officials speak during a press conference in the presence of Qatar Basketball Federation officials ahead of the Emir Cup final yesterday. The final of the prestigious tournament will be played at the Al Gharafa Indoor Stadium tomorrow, starting at 6.30pm.

AFP

LONDON: Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi (pictured) believes there will come a time when players will earn $1m per game while warning that the traditional programme of matches between countries "will disappear".

A Twenty20 domestic fran-chise competition launched a decade ago, which has spawned a host of imitators worldwide, the IPL is now the most lucrative of all cricket tournaments.

"The IPL is here to stay," Modi told Britain's Daily Tele-graph newspaper in an interview published yesterday. "It will be the dominant sporting league in the world."

At present there is a team salary cap, with the likes of England all-rounder Ben Stokes earning $1.95m per season from the Rajasthan Royals.

But Modi believes that if that $12m cap is relaxed, leading IPL players could earn as much as English Premier League foot-ballers and even NFL stars.

"You will see players making $1-$2m a game," said Modi. "It will happen sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, in a chilling argument for cricket tradition-alists, London-based Modi forecast the end of country versus country contests, which effectively finance professional cricket structures all round the world and the demise of the International Cricket Council, the sport's global governing body.

"Today international cricket does not matter," he said. "It is of zero value to the Indian fan.

"Tomorrow you will see bilateral cricket disappear," Modi added. "Big series will happen once every three or four years like the World Cup.

"The ICC will become an irrelevant body. It will be full of fat lugs who have no power.”

Modi forecasts IPL players will earn ‘$1m a game’

THE PENINSULA

CHANDIGARH: Chris Gayle hit his sixth Indian Premier League century, the maximum by any batsman as Kings XI Punjab clinched a 15-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Punjab Cricket Association I S Bindra Stadium yesterday.

Gayle struck a 63-ball 104, laced with 11 sixes and a boundary to set the jam-packed stadium on fire as Punjab posted a total of 193 for 3. The visitors were 15 runs short despite fighting knocks from Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey.

Brief Scores: Kings XI Punjab: 193 for

3 (Chris Gayle 104n.o., Karun Nair 31; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1 for 25)

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 178 for 4 (Kane Williamson 54, Manish Pandey 57 n.o.)

Gayle’s record ton powers Punjab to easy victory

AFP

MONTE CARLO: Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters by an inspired Dominic Thiem in the third round yesterday, with the Austrian fifth seed progressing to a possible quarter-final with Rafael Nadal.

Thiem, a two-time French Open semi-finalist, was the better player for much of the match and won 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-3 despite a battling effort from Djokovic.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion has still not reached a quarter-final since Wimbledon last July after struggling with an elbow injury.

Djokovic, 30, had said he was pain-free in Monte Carlo for the first time in two years, but Thiem backed up his French Open quarter-final win over the Serbian from last year with another impressive victory.

The 24-year-old will take on either world number one Nadal or Russian Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals.

World number seven Thiem laid down a marker in the opening stages, holding to love before breaking the Djokovic serve with a clean forehand winner. Djokovic faced a set point on his own serve when trailing 5-2, but saved it with a volley to force Thiem to serve for the opener.

Thiem brought up two more set points, only for his forehand to break down with two errors, before a double fault gave Djokovic the chance to break back.

The ninth seed grabbed that oppor-tunity as Thiem miscued again,

celebrating exuberantly in front of a delighted crowd as the set went to a tie-break.

And Thiem continued to throw in a series of poor shots, double faulting on Djokovic’s first set point as the 30-year-old took the breaker 7-2.

The first few games of the second set went with serve, but Thiem broke for a 3-2 lead on his third break point of the game when Djokovic scooped a wayward backhand off target.

Djokovic, now ranked 13, missed a chance to level immediately and Thiem then continued his momentum to break the faltering Serbian again.

Despite another double fault, Thiem banished the first-set jitters to close out the set at the first time of asking and force a decider. The key moment came in the seventh game of the third set, when Djokovic lost a 40-15 lead and Thiem broke with a venomous backhand up the line.

And the Austrian closed it out with

another break on his second match point.Later, world number one Rafael

Nadal cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russian Karen Khachanov on Thursday to set up a quarter-final against Thiem.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion needs to win an 11th Monte Carlo title to stay clear of Roger Federer at the top of the world rankings, and he made short work of Khachanov in Monaco. Third seed Alexander Zverev came through a three-set tussle with fellow German Jan-Lennard Struff to set up a potential first ATP Tour meeting with his older brother Mischa.

The 20-year-old, who won two Masters titles last season, became frus-trated in the second set but came through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and will play either Mischa or Richard Gasquet in the last eight.

Belgian sixth seed David Goffin held off a late fightback from Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the last eight with a 6-4, 7-5 win.

23FRIDAY 20 APRIL 2018 SPORT

THE PENINSULA

LOSAIL: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel romped to an emphatic victory on the opening 358.15km desert stage of the Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally yesterday.

The day’s stage started south-west of Losail and wound its way through the remote western wastelands before crossing the bottom of the country to finish near Sealine in the south. The Toyota Hilux driver began the day positioned eighth on the road, but he delivered another polished per-formance to extend his overall advantage in the fourth round of the FIA World Cup to 16min 07sec.

Al Attiyah said: “It was a good job today, but it was a very difficult stage and not easy for the navigation. We lose a little bit of time searching for the road and we had one flat tyre, but I am quite happy to be here. Many people made mistakes today. Tomorrow is another day and we try to do our best.”

Poland’s Jakub Przygonski lost some time in the middle of the stage with his own naviga-tional issues, but the X–Raid MINI driver hit back over the closing kilometres to pull clear of fellow countryman Aron Domzala to snatch the second quickest time and move up to a similar position in the standings.

“We are happy for second position but we are not so happy with the rhythm today,” said Przygonski. “The speed was okay but we had a lot of navi-gation mistakes and we lost a lot of time on this, maybe 12 or 14 minutes. This is when Aron (Domzala) catch us. But we are still in the game and the car is perfect. We need to focus on the next days and not make any mistakes.”

Dutchman Erik van Loon put Wednesday evening’s Losail mishap to the back of his mind and clocked the fourth quickest time to move up the field to seventh. Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan and Russian Vladimir

Vasilyev finished the stage in fourth and fifth overall and held fifth and fourth in the overall classification, respectively.

FIA World Cup leader Martin Prokop slipped to sixth in the rankings after losing his way in the desert. The Ford F-150 Evo driver said: “The stage was not the most difficult and was quite nice to drive, but it was navigation that was big trouble for us. We struggled a lot. We got lost really properly in the first 55km. It took a long time to find the right way again. Then we were looking for a waypoint after 200km and really struggling. It’s a disap-pointment. The speed was good, the car was perfect. It was a good decision to start 10th. But the two big mistakes have cost us this race. We try and do a good job o the last three stages.”

Qatar’s Adel Abdulla increased his lead in the T2 cat-egory for series production cross-country vehicles after Saudi Arabian championship

rival Ahmed Shegawi suffered technical problems before PC2. The QMMF and Ooredoo-backed Nissan Patrol driver also held an impressive 10th overall and a T2 lead of 47min 15sec at the end of the day.

Frenchman Claude Fournier romped to the T3 stage win in his Polaris RZR 1000 and moved up to an impressive eighth in the overall rankings, after series rival José Luis Pena Campo of Spain lost time early on and both Italy’s Michele Cinotto and Spaniard Santiago Navarro were delayed.

The Qatar debut of Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers came to a pre-mature and painful halt when co-driver Robert Howie com-plained of back pain shortly after a heavy landing in a deep hole shortly before the first passage control. De Villiers took the sensible decision to retire the Toyota.

De Villiers said: “It was at the end of a shott and I guess

there should have been a couple of cautions in the road book. I braked hard but, unfortunately, Rob injured his back and was in a lot of pain. I decided to stop. His health is more important. There is nothing wrong with the car. I wait to see if he is okay after the medical checks.

Polish Orlen Team rider Maciej Giemza maintained a level head and survived the rigours of navigating alone from the front to card a stage time of 5hrs 47min 56sec on the sole motorcycle. Russian Alex-sandr Maksimov was a com-fortable leader of the quad cat-egory after Dutch rival Kees Koolen stopped with fuel pump problems on the day’s stage and lost a lot of time.

Giemza said: “It was a great experience to open the stage for the first time. We know how hard the Qatar stages are for navigation and I heard that some of the best guys in the cars also lost some waypoints today. I am happy about the

clean stage without a crash. I hope to do better navigation tomorrow.”

The difficulty of the stage decimated the field running in the Manateq Qatar National Baja and T2 leader Adel Abdulla – who is eligible for both rallies

– stormed to the top of the leader board in his TOK Sport Nissan Patrol Y62.

Despite losing over an hour, Al-Shegawi (Toyota) held fifth place behind the Qatari, second-placed Kuwait’s Thuwaini Al Nahel (Polaris) and the Qatari duo of Mohammed Al Meer (Nissan) and Sheikh Hamed bin Eid Al Thani (Nissan).

Overnight leader Abdulaziz Al Bsheyer, Nayef Al Nasr, Ahmed Allouh and Mohammed Al-Attiyah all suffered their own fair share of mechanical issues and delays on the treach-erous special.

Today, competitors tackle another mammoth loop stage across the State of Qatar.

The 340.54km selective section begins to the north of Losail and passes around the northern extremities of the country before cutting across the uppermost deserts to run down the western coast to finish off the Al Kharsaah Road, west of Doha.

Russia’s Aleksandr Maksimov rides his Yamaha YFM 700R through the Qatari desert.

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and the French

navigator Matthieu Baumel in action during

the opening 358.15km desert stage of the

Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally yesterday.

2018 QATAR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY – OVERALL STANDINGS (TOP FIVE)

CARS

1. Nasse Al Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hrs 38min 41sec

2. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/T Colsoul (BEL) MINI John Cooper Works Rally 3hrs 54min 48sec

3. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4hrs 03min 52sec

4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI One 4hrs 12min 00sec

5. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexei Kuzmich (RUS) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4hrs 34min 40sec

BIKES/QUADS

1. Maciej Giemza (POL) KTM 450 Rally Replica 5hrs 52min 32sec

2. Aleksandr Maksimov (RUS) Yamaha YFM 700R 6hrs 57min 39sec

2018 QATAR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY – POSITIONS ON SS2:

CARS

1. Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hrs 34min 28sec

2. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/T Colsoul (BEL) MINI John Cooper Works Rally 3hrs 50min 29sec

3. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hrs 59min 29sec

4. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4hrs 07min 10sec

5. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI One 4hrs 07min 25sec

MANATEQ QATAR NATIONAL BAJA – POSITIONS AFTER SS2

CARS

1. Adel Abdulla (QAT)/Nasser Al Kuwari (QAT) Nissan Patrol Y62 (T2) 2hrs 15min 13sec

2. Thuwaini Al Nahel (KWT)/Mohammed Al Tahnoun (KWT) Polaris RZR 2hrs 57min 47sec

3. Mohammed Al Meer (QAT)/Jaber Abu Jabri (QAT) Nissan Patrol 2hrs 58min 12sec

4. Hamed bin Eid Al Thani (QAT)/Feres Allouh (QAT) Nissan Patro 2hrs 58min 54sec

5. Ahmed Shegawi (SAU)/L Lichtleuchter (FRA) Nissan Patrol Y61 (T2) 3hrs 21min 52sec

It was a very difficult stage and not easy for the navigation. We lose a little bit of time searching for the road and we had one flat tyre, but I am quite happy to be here. Many people made mistakes today. Tomorrow is another day and we try to do our best: Al Attiyah

QCCR: Al Attiyah extends lead with emphatic second stage win

Qatar’s Adel Abdulla driving his Nissan Patrol Y62 during yesterday’s stage.

Poland’s Przygonski loses time with navigational woes

Qatar’s Adel Abdulla extends leads in T2

Giemza on track for FIM success

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21FRIDAY 20 APRIL 2018

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Volleyball giants Al Rayyan will be looking to complete a trophy treble this season when they take on Police in the Qatar Cup final today.

Coached by Carlos Schwanke, Al Rayyan won the Super Cup final against Police last November before clinching the Qatar Vol-leyball League title earlier this month.

“We have the chance for one more title. We are expecting to bring a good level to the final,” Schwanke said yesterday.

“All of my players feel ready. May the best team win. In every championship there is a story. We are playing for a trophy,” the Bra-zilian said.

“For us Police are playing their best. We have to be at our best. I cannot promise the result. I can promise the fight from our side,” he added.

“And yes, congratulations to Police for reaching the final,” Schwanke said with a smile.

Earlier this month, Al Rayyan defeated Police 3-1 in their last Qatar Volleyball League match to remain unbeaten in the season. This was the ninth league title for Al Rayyan and it came after a gap of two seasons. Police finished runners-up with 46 points.

In February, Al Rayyan won the 36th Arab Club Volleyball Championship in Tunis after beating Tunisia’s Esperance 3-0 in the final of the tournament.

The winner in today’s final will pick up QR 300,000 while the runners-up take home QR 200,000, Qatar Volleyball Asso-ciation (QVA) confirmed yesterday.

Police coach Damian Arre-dondo said the final ‘felt like a thriller of a game’.

“It looks like it’s going to be a thrilling game. We were close to winning against Al Rayyan many times this season. Both teams have had good games and I am sure we will make a great game for the fans,” Arredondo said.

“This is not a revenge match. They are a champion side. For us, this is the first final of this event. We will give our best. They can change their (suspended) players because all (of their reserve players) are good. They have a great team,” Arrendondo added.

“We are happy to be in the final. We wish to play a high level game. We hope to enjoy the game tomorrow.

“We are confident of becoming the new champions. We are excited to be in the final because it is a big show. We want

to deliver like we did in the semis. We did what was expected from us. Now the final is here. Now we have to give everything we have,” the Argen-tinian added.

Two former players will be honoured after the final while a special prize for the Most Val-uable Player will also be announced, QVA said yesterday.

Police manager Rashid Mahmood said: “It’s a big match. We have played well. It will be a tough clash. The best of Qatari volleyball will be seen in the match. We hope to present a good match. Al Rayyan are a very experience side having won numerous titles.”

Al Rayyan’s team-manager Ali Ishaq said: “The match is going to be a tough one for both side. We have had tough games all season and that shows that

you have to show respect to Police team players.”

Sulaiman Saeed of Al Rayyan said yesterday: “I respect the Police squad. I can say that they are a tough side. They have played well throughout the season. The performance of my team didn’t change since the sus-pension (of key players). We played without suspended players. Two of our played won’t be available. The r e p l a c e m e n t players will try to make a statement.”

The Qatar Cup game will be tel-ecast live on Al Kass S p o r t s Channel.

Roaring Al Rayyan eye treble gloryCoached by Carlos

Schwanke, Al Rayyan won the Super Cup final

against Police last November before

clinching the Qatar Volleyball League

title earlier this month.

The winner in today’s final

will pick up QR 300,000 while the

runners-up take home QR 200,000,

Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA)

confirmed yesterday.

Two former players will be honoured after

the final while a special prize for

the Most Valuable Player will also be

announced

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Police coach Damian Arredondo and Al Rayyan coach Carlos Schwanke pose for a photograph with the Qatar Cup Trophy following a press conference held in Doha yesterday.

Female coaches brush up skills with RNFA at Doha campTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Football is still perceived as a men’s world, but a glimpse on the football pitch of Qatar Women’s Sport Committee (QWSC) this week showed a different picture.

A group of almost 30 women worked on their coaching skills with top class trainers from the World Coaches Program of the Royal Netherlands Football Associ-ation (RNFA) and the talented girls from Evolution Sports Qatar.

Through the international World Coaches Program, sports professionals learn to use football coaching to teach important life skills to the children and youth, like team work, mutual respect and responsibility.

The first World Coaches program in Qatar was specifically designed for women, thanks to the cooperation with Qatar Women’s Sport Committee (QWSC). On Thursday, they ended their training program with an all-girls football tournament.

The participants received their certif-icates from the President of QWSC, Mrs. Lolwa Hussain Al Marri, and the Ambas-sador of the Netherlands, H E Bahia Tahzib-Lie, after completing the intensive course.

Mrs. Al Marri congratulated all the par-ticipants and said: “Good, empowered

coaches are important to further spread the enthusiasm for sports among women and girls. You can now lead the way! Together, let’s increase the number of women and girls playing football in Qatar.”

Dr. Tahzib-Lie said: “The World Coaches course takes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you to try new things and show leadership. I am proud of all of you for completing this course as a team”.

The World Coaches trainers are enthu-siastic about their experiences in Qatar and hope to come back to train more women and men in the near future.

Female coaches and players receive tips during the World Coaches Program of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (RNFA) in Doha.

Mbappe brace as PSG reach French Cup final

AFP

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe struck a brace and Christopher Nkunku added a late third as Paris Saint-Germain marched into the French Cup final thanks to 3-1 win at Caen on Wednesday.

PSG travelled to the Nor-mandy coast with the French league title already wrapped up and looking to take another step towards what would be a fourth consec-utive Cup triumph -- a record -- if they beat third division Les Herbiers at the Stade de France on May 8.

But while dominant throughout, Unai Emery’s men were kept on their toes in an at times messy encounter in which they had one goal chalked off by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and Mbappe’s second fall under its scrutiny before it was confirmed nine minutes from time.

PSG should have opened the scoring early but Angel Di Maria saw a weak rolled shot collected by ‘keeper Brice Samba on 17 minutes.

But despite poor pitch conditions, the French cham-pions were quickly into their stride with Mbappe, out-standing on the night, opening the scoring on 21 minutes.

A textbook move from midfield saw Edinson Cavani

in possession to the left of the area. When the Uruguayan striker rolled across the area, Samba misjudged his lunge to leave Mbappe with an easy tap in from yards out.

PSG were firmly in control against a Caen side reeling from four consecutive league defeats.

But Patrice Garande’s men pounced to level shortly before the half-time interval.

PSG’s defence stepped back amid a Caen offensive and when a deflected shot fell to Ismael Diomande his shot deflected off Adrien Rabiot to leave Kevin Trapp snatching for thin air.

PSG replied moments after the second half began after a defensive blunder by Damien Da Silva saw Cavani add his name to the scoresheet. It was ruled out for offside. But with the clock ticking down, another textbook move saw PSG restore their lead.

Again, VAR was used to check whether Cavani was offside when he ran on to a slick backheel by Di Maria and rolled across the area for Mbappe to fire past Samba nine minutes from time.

This time, the goal stood. PSG added a third in the final minute of added-on time after Nkunku completed a great one-two to run through and leave Samba with no chance.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates with team-mate Edinson Cavani after scoring against Caen during the French Cup semi-final at the Stade Michel-d’Ornano on Wednesday.

But it's the ultimate challenge for everybody, to play against

him (Rafael Nadal). I have to rise my level again. I think I'm able

to do that.

Dominic Thiem After his win against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic