Paris Saint-Germain rested their three biggest stars but still won 3-1 at third-tier Chateauroux in the French Cup round of 64 on Friday night.
With Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar not even on the visiting bench, PSG took the lead after 13 minutes with a right-foot shot from Hugo Ekitike.
The home team hit back with a 37th minute goal by Natanael Ntolla and created several chances before fading in the closing stages.
Carlos Soler put the visitors back in the lead in the 78th minute, knocking in the rebound after home goalkeeper Paul Delecroix had saved Ekitike's header.
Another Spaniard, Juan Bernat, scored the third goal in added time.
After the win, Manager Christophe Galtier hinted at some complacency within his team.
“Imagine if we hadn’t qualified. At one stage our team was split in half and that gave them confidence,” Galtier said. “Did we think things would be easy once we took the lead? Perhaps.”
Galtier picked three teenagers: 16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery started in midfield alongside 18-year-old Ismael Gharbi, with 17-year-old El Chadaille Bitshiabu in central defence.
There was an upset elsewhere as second-tier Pau beat first-division Montpellier 2-1 at home.
Meanwhile, Angers beat Strasbourg on penalties in an all-first division game after a 0-0 draw.
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PSG star Lionel Messi with teammate Neymar during a training session in Paris on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. All photos by Getty -
Lionel Messi returned to training with PSG after winning the World Cup in Qatar for Argentina. -
Lionel Messi warms up during a Paris Saint-Germain training session in France on Wednesday. -
Neymar shares a laugh during Paris Saint-Germain's training session. -
Marquinhos at PSG's training centre in Paris. -
Vitinha passes the ball during a Paris Saint-Germain training session at PSG training center in Paris, France. -
Juan Bernat warms up at PSG training's centre in Paris. -
Neymar warms up during training.
