PSG defeat St Etienne 1-0 to capture 13th Coupe de France

Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on Friday defeated St Etienne 1-0 to win a record 13th Coupe de France as competitive football returned in the country.

The Paris side, the undisputed behemoths of French football in recent years, won thanks to a goal by Neymar in the 14th.

They paid a hefty price for the record 13th title as star forward Kylian Mbappe was subbed out after a horrific challenge by St Etienne captain Loic Perrin in the 26th, which earned him a red card.

The 21-year-old was in crutches when he returned to the pitch to celebrate the win with his teammates.

"Great courage, Kylian! Let's hope it's not too bad!" PSG said in a tweet showing the limping forward.

Ligue 1 was the only one of Europe's "big five" leagues to end its season early due to the pandemic.

The final of the Coupe de France was originally scheduled for April 25 when the country was already weeks into a strict coronavirus lockdown.