Nantes head coach Antoine Kombouare labelled his players "a sh***y team" on Sunday as he took a dramatic swipe at the group two weeks ahead of the Coupe de France final.

There will be glory in their sights at the Stade de France on April 29 when Nantes tackle Toulouse for cup honours.

However, former Paris Saint-Germain boss Kombouare tore into his side in a television interview after the 2-1 loss at Auxerre on Ligue 1 duty that left Nantes 15th in the table.

The 59-year-old told Prime Video: "Today the players aren't concerned by survival because, up to now... imagine, you got to the 16th finals of the Europa League, you're going to the Stade de France in two weeks.

"But apparently they would prefer for us to be up the creek and find ourselves 17th to be able to wake up.

"They like to play with the pressure so we're going to laugh. In any case today, I hear those from Auxerre say that we are a good team but no, we are a sh****y team!"

Nantes saw their Europa League campaign ended by Juventus in February when they lost 4-1 on aggregate to the Italian giants.

They have not won a domestic league match since February 12 when they scored a 1-0 home victory over Lorient, taking three points from a possible 24 since.

It is a run that has left relegation a distinct possibility, with Nantes just two points clear of the drop zone, which contains the bottom four sides for this season as Ligue 1 makes the change to an 18-team league from the 2023-24 season.

They will be seeking back-to-back Coupe de France titles, having beaten Nice 1-0 in last season's final.

Fares Chaibi struck late to help Toulouse past second-tier Annecy and into a first Coupe de France final for 66 years with a 2-1 win at Parc des Sports.

The Ligue 1 visitors had looked destined for penalties heading into the final stages against their Ligue 2 hosts, before the substitute rode to the rescue.

A horrendous defensive misread by Annecy allowed him to head past goalkeeper Thomas Callens into an open net and send his side to a first final since 1957.

Toulouse had originally seized the lead in the first half through Zakaria Aboukhlal, with the winger's low header drifted home off a Branco van den Boomen cross.

But their opponents had equalised on the stroke of half-time through a penalty for Alexy Bosetti, after Gabriel Suazo was deemed to have fouled him inside the area.

The result means Philippe Montanier's side can look forward to a clash with defending champions Nantes at the Stade de France next month.

Nantes secured their place in the Coupe de France final for a second successive season after Ludovic Blas' sensational second-half strike secured a deserved 1-0 win against Lyon. 

The holders sit 14th in Ligue 1 but have enjoyed another inspired cup run, with Wednesday's upset of Lyon now gifting them the opportunity to win back-to-back crowns.

Jean-Charles Castelletto almost gave Nantes the perfect start but his first-minute effort was saved expertly by Anthony Lopes.

The home side thought they had gone ahead when Samuel Moutoussamy capitalised on a Lyon defensive mistake, but his effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. 

Antoine Kombouare's side would finally make their advantage pay in the second half, however, as Blas fired home a marvellous left-footed effort into the top corner to secure another famous win in front of a frenzied home crowd. 

The defending champions will now play either Toulouse or second-tier Annecy in the final on April 29.

Ruslan Malinovskiy's stunner settled an enthralling Classique in Marseille's favour as they beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 to reach the Coupe de France quarter-finals.

Malinovskiy's fantastic winner was just reward for a scintillating Marseille display at Stade Velodrome on Wednesday.

Igor Tudor's team had 12 shots in the first half and took the lead through Alexis Sanchez's 31st-minute penalty, which was cancelled out by Sergio Ramos' header.

Ramos thought he had sent the tie to penalties when he headed home in stoppage time, but the offside flag came to Marseille's salvation.

A frantic opening set the tone. Pau Lopez denied Nuno Mendes before Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped over from Cengiz Under, saved Malinovskiy's stinging effort and watched Sead Kolasinac's strike arrow just wide.

PSG's luck ran out when Ramos tumbled into Under just inside the area – Sanchez coolly sending Donnarumma the wrong way from the spot and becoming the first Marseille player to net in a home Classique since Florian Thauvin in 2017.

Neymar struck the right-hand post with a superb low shot, though the woodwork then came to PSG's rescue when Under clipped the crossbar after Donnarumma unconvincingly thwarted Jonathan Clauss.

Marseille were made to pay for their profligacy on the cusp of half-time, Ramos nodding in from Neymar's corner.

Parity lasted just 12 minutes, though, with Malinovskiy lashing a venomous half-volley beyond Donnarumma from the edge of the box.

Valentin Rongier's wonderfully timed tackle prevented Mendes going through on goal as PSG hunted an immediate response.

Marseille were immensely fortunate Ramos strayed offside before heading in from a cross-shot that hit the bar, though they ultimately deserved their luck as 14-time Coupe de France winners PSG crashed out at the same stage as last season.

Christophe Galtier wants cool heads when Paris Saint-Germain step into the Stade Velodrome cauldron to face Marseille on Wednesday, recognising a crunch phase of the season has arrived.

Marseille-born Galtier, who began his playing career with the south-coast team, leads PSG into a Classique at the last-16 stage of the Coupe de France.

It is a meeting of the top two teams in Ligue 1, and PSG will be back in Marseille later in the month for a clash in league competition.

The Parisians also face Monaco and Lille in February, and they host the first leg of the keenly anticipated Champions League last-16 showdown with Bayern Munich next Tuesday.

Asked about pressure during what is his first term at the helm, Galtier said: "There is pressure from the moment you sign the contract. You have to get results.

"It is a month with a lot at stake. We will be playing in three competitions: the league, then tomorrow is a knockout game, and then the tie against Bayern Munich which everyone is looking forward to. That is also a knockout. There is a lot at stake and there are a lot of expectations this month."

Sergio Ramos and Neymar are available after injury, but Kylian Mbappe remains absent with a thigh problem.

Lionel Messi, after his winning goal against Toulouse on Saturday, will again be a player PSG look to for leadership.

"It is not just a last-16 tie but a Classique," Galtier said.

The coach is taking unusual measures to keep his mind on the job, even apparently snubbing family.

"I am trying to close everything from the outside that could be reaching my phone from family members so that I can stay focused on preparing for the game," Galtier added.

"We will need to be ourselves and play at our best level. We will need to be very good technically and have the ability to play under pressure from the opposition.

"Regarding the context, all my players have played in these sorts of games before."

It is this reason that encourages Galtier to believe his team should be able to cope with what should be a raucous atmosphere, feeding tensions on the pitch.

"We can't be overcome by dissent," he said. "There could be incidents on the pitch. It is the biggest game of the year for many people, so we need to stay clear-headed.

"I don't tell them to stay calm, because if you are calm you will fall asleep. You simply need to be clear-headed and play with quality."

Neymar has returned to full training with Paris Saint-Germain in a big boost for the French giants ahead of three big matches across the next week.

The Brazil international has not featured in PSG's past two games – league wins over Montpellier and Toulouse – due to suffering from muscular fatigue.

However, Neymar is now in contention to return for Wednesday's Classique against Marseille at Stade Velodrome in the last 16 of the Coupe de France.

Ligue 1 leaders PSG then face fourth-placed Monaco in the league on Saturday, before hosting Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next week.

PSG posted an image of Neymar in training on Monday, while fellow recent injury absentee Sergio Ramos was also present.

Kylian Mbappe is expected to miss at least the first leg of that showdown with Bayern, however, with the prolific forward still nursing a thigh injury.

Prior to his short lay-off, Neymar – who celebrated his 31st birthday on Sunday – had scored 17 goals and assisted 14 more in 25 appearances this season.

Those 31 goal involvements put Neymar level with team-mate Mbappe and behind only Manchester City's Erling Haaland (34) among players from Europe's top five leagues.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe claimed he was not informed about Kylian Mbappe replacing him as the club's vice-captain.

Mbappe scored five times as PSG beat sixth-tier Pays de Cassel 7-0 in the Coupe de France on Monday, with the France star wearing the captain's armband in the absence of regular skipper Marquinhos.

After the match, PSG coach Christophe Galtier told reporters Mbappe is now their vice-captain.

Kimpembe – who has not played since November due to a heel injury – had previously been Marquinhos' deputy.

Rumours on Tuesday suggested Kimpembe had agreed to step down from the position to allow Mbappe to take up a leadership role.

However, he insists such reports are inaccurate, instead accusing PSG of failing to inform him at all.

"In the last few hours I have been able to hear and read a lot about myself," he wrote on his official social media accounts.

"I therefore wish to make things clear in order to avoid continuing to spread false information in this regard.

"I was not made aware of this decision, this is completely false... That said, I will always respect the decisions of the club."

Christophe Galtier was seemingly unsurprised by Kylian Mbappe's brutal five-goal display in Paris Saint-Germain's Coupe de France demolition of Pays de Cassel on Monday.

PSG eased into the last 16 of the competition with an emphatic 7-0 victory at Lens' Stade Bollaert-Delelis, with Mbappe involved in all but one of their goals.

The sixth-tier opposition – who were technically the home team – did not look overawed and played some attractive football during the early stages, but the floodgates opened once Mbappe put PSG ahead with 29 minutes played.

It was 4-0 by half-time, with Mbappe netting three and setting up Neymar – the France forward added another two after the break to become the first player in PSG history to score five times in one match.

Carlos Soler – the scorer of PSG's other goal – also impressed, but it was Mbappe and Neymar whom Galtier focused on.

"Kylian Mbappe's a goalscorer, he's obsessed with goals and attacking," the coach told beIN SPORTS.

"I'm not going to say he's going to gain confidence [from scoring five goals], but he's up to his standard.

"It was important for him and Neymar to play the full game. They combined a lot and looked for each other a lot. It was good for them."

Such a contest represented the risk of a major shock for PSG, but there was never any real danger of a defeat as the Parisians produced a thoroughly professional display.

Mbappe believes that reflected the respect they have for lower-league opposition.

"We're happy, we came to qualify and respect this team," he said.

"Respect means playing at our level. We're happy. It was a great opportunity for [Pays de Cassel], and for us because we also come from amateur football.

"We are very happy to come and play, and it is an important competition for Paris Saint-Germain."

On the other side of things, Pays de Cassel coach Samuel Goethals spoke of his pride despite the heavy defeat, highlighting how playing in front of such a crowd was by no means a regular occurrence.

"It's still a source of great pride," he added. "The game was complicated, we did things within our means. I'm super proud of the group.

"We knew the balance of power was going to be very unbalanced, and it was unprecedented for each of us to play in front of 35,000 people, but I saw a yellow and black stadium, it was magnificent to experience.

"You have to be real, we are in Regional One, the sixth division, we are amateurs, and this was seen on the field. I would have preferred that we conceded one or two goals less, but [the match's speed] was too fast."

Kylian Mbappe became the first Paris Saint-Germain player to score five goals in a match as his side eased into the last 16 of the Coupe de France with a 7-0 win over sixth-tier Pays de Cassel on Monday.

The lowest-ranked side left in the competition, Pays de Cassel did not look overawed at Stade Bollaert-Delelis – the home of Lens – but PSG's vastly superior quality unsurprisingly soon shone through.

An 11-minute first-half spell saw the Ligue 1 leaders roar into an unassailable 4-0 lead, with Mbappe scoring three and setting up Neymar.

Mbappe continued his brutal exhibition after half-time with a couple of close-range goals either side of Carlos Soler's impudent finish.

Pays de Cassel gave a good account of themselves initially, putting together some intricate passing moves that brought huge cheers around their home away from home.

But PSG's breakthrough eventually arrived in the 29th minute as Mbappe met Nuno Mendes' cut-back and found the net via a significant deflection.

He then released Neymar to make it 2-0, the Brazilian dazzling the defence with his quick feet before firing left-footed through goalkeeper Romain Samson's legs.

Samson could only watch as Mbappe brought up his hat-trick before half-time with a pair of sumptuous chips.

But the keeper was culpable 10 minutes into the second half, completely missing Neymar's pass and allowing Mbappe a tap-in.

More great work by Neymar just after the hour left Soler to backheel over the line from a couple of yards out.

Soler was involved again 11 minutes from time as Mbappe completed the scoring with another poacher's effort from the Spaniard's cross.

Christophe Galtier conceded his Paris Saint-Germain players may have underestimated Chateauroux in their Coupe de France clash on Friday.

PSG ultimately won the tie 3-1 at Stade Gaston Petit thanks to late goals from Carlos Soler and Juan Bernat, but their third-tier opponents had given them a tough battle until then.

With no Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe, PSG relied on 20-year-old Hugo Ekitike to fire them in front early on, before Natanael Ntolla equalised prior to half-time via a deflection off El Chadaille Bitshiabu.

Late pressure finally bore fruit for Galtier's side, though, as Soler and Bernat both struck, and the PSG head coach was just happy to be through to the last 32.

"There is the satisfaction in being qualified," he said. "Games like this are difficult. The start was in line with what I expected, with the opener. Afterwards, my team was cut in two and that gave Chateauroux a lot of hope.

"Did we think things were going to be easy? Maybe."

The former Lille and Nice boss made seven changes to the team that started the 3-1 loss at Lens last time out, including teenage trio Ismael Gharbi, Bitshiabu and 16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery.

Although it took the introduction of Sergio Ramos and Fabian Ruiz in place of Bitshiabu and Gharbi just after the hour for the visitors to take charge, Galtier was pleased with the performances of the youngsters, having anticipated a tough night with several first-team players missing following the World Cup.

"I was satisfied with the young players," he said. "They were serious and on pace. I really liked Ismael in the game. Warren was of a good level. El Chadaille was unhappy [about the goal against].

"I expected a complex game with the absence of many players and the different states of form. We will see which ones we will recover for Angers [on Wednesday]. 

"Teams that have had a lot of players at the World Cup are struggling to restart at the start of the year. We will quickly have to refocus on the objectives."

Paris Saint-Germain left out their biggest stars and survived a scare to progress in the Coupe de France, earning a 3-1 win at Chateauroux on Friday.

An early goal from Hugo Ekitike was cancelled out by Natanael Ntolla before half-time, and PSG had to wait until the 78th minute for Carlos Soler to bundle home for the Ligue 1 side before Juan Bernat added some gloss to the score late on.

Christophe Galtier included 16-year-old Warren Zaire Emery in his much-changed starting line-up, with no Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe as Ekitike, Pablo Sarabia and Soler were selected in attack.

Chateauroux, who play in the third tier of French football, belied their lowly position of 14th in the Championnat National with a determined showing against their celebrated opponents, but PSG ultimately made it through to the last-32 stage.

The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when Ismael Gharbi's first-time ball from the edge of the box into the path of Ekitike allowed the young striker to finish neatly in off the left post with the outside of his right foot.

Jonathan Mexique went close for the home side with a close-range shot in the 26th minute that was deflected over by a diving Vitinha, while Paul Delecroix made a good save down to his left from a Gharbi volley shortly after.

The scores were level eight minutes before the break though after neat work down the left ended with former Lille and Saint-Etienne striker Nolan Roux pulling the ball back for Ntolla, whose goal-bound shot was deflected past Keylor Navas by 17-year-old PSG defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu.

Galtier called for more experience in the second half as Sergio Ramos and Fabian Ruiz came on just after the hour, and the coach eventually saw his team re-take the lead as Vitinha stood up a cross to the far post that allowed Ekitike to head at goal, with Soler following up from Delecroix's initial save.

Bernat made it 3-1 in stoppage time after racing onto a ball from Ruiz and firing low and hard across Delecroix to seal the victory for PSG.

Neymar's training absence on Thursday was "scheduled" and he will miss Paris Saint-Germain's Coupe de France tie with Chateauroux, Christophe Galtier confirmed.

The forward suffered an ankle injury in Brazil's opening World Cup match, missing the final two group-stage games, though he returned to score in both of the Selecao's knockout ties as they crashed out in the quarter-finals to Croatia.

Neymar returned to PSG and featured in their first Ligue 1 fixture against Strasbourg, but he was given a second yellow card for a dive in the 62nd minute as a late Kylian Mbappe penalty snatched a 2-1 victory.

He was therefore suspended for PSG's 3-1 defeat to Lens on Sunday, their first loss of the season, and he was a notable absentee from training on Thursday.

Galtier insisted Neymar not training was planned and he also confirmed the 30-year-old will play no part against Chateauroux in the Coupe de France on Friday.

"As for Neymar's absence in training that had been scheduled, as it was for all of the players who went to the World Cup," PSG boss Galtier told reporters.

"They were assessed by our medical staff and performance team.

"We decided as a group that Neymar, with everything he has experienced with his ankle problem, that he needed time for his ankle to recover."

Asked whether Neymar was expected to miss the following game too, a Ligue 1 home meeting with Angers on Wednesday, Galtier replied: "Just tomorrow."

Neymar was visibly upset after Brazil's penalty defeat to Croatia, with his hopes of winning a World Cup now looking slim with the next tournament occurring when he will be 34.

However, Galtier is not concerned about the former Barcelona man, saying: "I'm not at all worried about Neymar.

"Based on what he has been doing since the start of the season, he is full of desire to play and he wanted to play in the league game but was suspended. He was very disappointed.

"We are lucky to have a very committed Neymar here, but we need to keep an eye on him physically."

After Brazil's shock exit in Qatar, Argentina and France went on to play what many are calling the best World Cup final ever, with PSG's Mbappe and Lionel Messi playing starring roles as La Albiceleste ultimately won on penalties following a 3-3 draw after extra time.

Galtier hopes Messi receives a warm reception in Paris on his return having beaten France in the final, while saying Mbappe has not changed after winning the tournament's Golden Boot and scoring a hat-trick in the final.

"He [Messi] will not play tomorrow," Galtier explained. "Having discussed it with him, we want him to be ready for the following game.

"I hope he will be celebrated by our supporters. Leo Messi is a Paris national player and World Cup winner. We are lucky to have a player like Messi here.

"We also need to appreciate we have [Mbappe] at the club. Just like Messi, he had a brilliant World Cup.

"Kylian Mbappe quickly wanted to get back into competitive football after the World Cup. I feel he is a very intelligent guy who learns quickly, and he knows the general consensus around him has changed.

"He is a player with huge personality and character who is capable of managing that. We have Kylian Mbappe here on a daily basis and he is the same as before."

Lionel Messi was welcomed back to Paris Saint-Germain training with a guard of honour after inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory last month.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was given an extended break by his club after scoring seven times and assisting three more in Qatar.

Messi, who announced ahead of the tournament it would be his last World Cup participation, landed a second Golden Ball for his starring role in Argentina's third global triumph.

He has played no part in PSG's two matches since Qatar 2022, missing the win over Strasbourg and defeat to Lens in Ligue 1, but he was back in Paris on Wednesday.

PSG's players and coaching staff formed a tunnel for Messi as he walked out of their training base, before he was handed a small trophy by sporting director Luis Campos.

Neymar was among those to greet Messi upon his arrival, but Kylian Mbappe – a beaten finalist at Messi's expense – was absent after being given a breather by Christophe Galtier.

Messi may now be in contention to play a part in Friday's round-of-64 Coupe de France tie with third-tier side Chateauroux.

Prior to heading off to the World Cup, the 35-year-old scored 12 goals and assisted 14 more in 19 appearances this season.

Speculation over Kylian Mbappe's future is finally over as he will be staying at Paris Saint-Germain.

The 23-year-old had widely been expected to join Real Madrid as a free agent, but it was confirmed on Saturday that the France forward has signed a new three-year contract with PSG.

Mbappe joined the Ligue 1 champions from Monaco, initially on loan, in 2017 and has become the capital club's leading light, despite playing alongside Neymar and, as of the 2021-22 season, Lionel Messi.

PSG were desperate to keep hold of the World Cup winner and have now got their wish.

Here, Stats Perform breaks down the key numbers and records behind Mbappe's PSG career to date.

The headline numbers

217 - As he featured in PSG's starting XI against Metz, he has now made 217 appearances so far, more than any other player in the period since he joined the club. Of those appearances, 190 have been starts.

168 - Before the Metz game, the forward had scored an incredible 168 goals for PSG, 72 more than Neymar, who was second on the list since Mbappe made his PSG bow.

77 - Prior to the Metz game, he was also the leading assister since he joined PSG, creating 77 goals. 

775 - As expected, he also topped the PSG squad for shots, having had 775, with 398 of those hitting the target. Magnifique.

42 - No player had contributed to more goals across Europe's top five leagues this season heading into Saturday's match than Mbappe, who has been involved in 42.

The records

15 - This season, Mbappe became the first player to score at least 15 goals and provide at least 15 assists in a single Ligue 1 campaign since Eden Hazard did so for Lille in the 2011-12 campaign.

100 - When he scored against Lyon in March 2021, Mbappe became the youngest player to rack up 100 goals in Ligue 1, at the age of 22 years and 91 days. He is also the youngest player to net a century of goals in the top five European Leagues in the 21st century.

2 - Mbappe is already the second-highest Ligue 1 scorer since the turn of the century, having scored 132 times in the competition before Saturday's game. Only PSG great Edinson Cavani, with 138, has netted more.

1 - He is hoping to become the first player to finish as the highest goalscorer and the leading assist provider in the same Ligue 1 season since Opta began collecting such data in 2008.

8 - Ever consistent, Mbappe had scored at least one goal and delivered at least one assist in eight different Ligue 1 games this season, the highest tally of his career in the same top-flight campaign, prior to the final match of the 2021-22 campaign.

3 - Mbappe is aiming to be the third player to finish as the highest goalscorer in four consecutive Ligue 1 seasons, after Carlos Bianchi (four in a row with Reims and PSG) and Jean-Pierre Papin (five in a row with Marseille). 

50 - It is not just domestically that Mbappe has thrived. Since Opta collected such data, starting in the 2003-04 season, he is the fastest and youngest player to have reached 50 goal involvements in the Champions League, doing so in 51 matches, by the age of 22 years and 352 days.

32 - As of kick-off against Metz, Mbappe was 32 goals shy of matching Cavani's club record of 200 for PSG.

Christophe Galtier and Nice have strongly condemned chants from their supporters about the late Emiliano Sala.

Former Nantes striker Sala died in a plane crash in January 2019 as he travelled from France to the United Kingdom having signed for Cardiff City.

Sala was a hugely popular figure at Nantes, and supporters of the Ligue 1 club sang his name as they won the Coupe de France on Saturday. Nantes beat Nice 1-0 in the final.

But in Nice's first match since their defeat, sections of their home crowd in a 4-2 win over Saint-Etienne could be heard directing derogatory chants towards Sala.

Head coach Galtier was shocked by the abuse, revealing it was the focus of he and the Nice team after the match.

"I don't have words to describe what I heard," Galtier said. "One of the first reactions in the dressing room was not our songs, shouts of joy or relief. It was to talk about what the players heard.

"On behalf of my dressing room, my technical staff, my medical staff, the players, we would like to apologise to the family of Emiliano Sala and FC Nantes."

A Nice statement read: "OGC Nice condemns in the strongest terms the chant about Emiliano Sala heard on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Riviera.

"The club does not recognise its values or those of the entire red and black family in this unthinkable and abject provocation of a minority of its supporters.

"OGC Nice extends its support to the family and loved ones of Emiliano Sala."

Nantes, who beat Rennes 2-1 on Wednesday, also responded to news of the incident.

"I'm outraged," said coach Antoine Kombouare. "These people have no place in stadiums. They should be banned.

"It's shameful, I feel sorry for the family. I knew the fans could be stupid, but these are donkeys."

A Nantes statement added: "FC Nantes has discovered with horror the content of the chants of some OGC Nice supporters and can only strongly condemn such acts degrading the memory of Emiliano Sala.

"At the same time, FC Nantes would like to thank OGC Nice and its coach Christophe Galtier for their support and their firm condemnation of such remarks.

"FC Nantes as a whole supports Emiliano's family and loved ones."