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    <title>Aaj TV English News - Sports</title>
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    <language>en-Us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright 2026</copyright>
    <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:58:14 +0500</pubDate>
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    <ttl>60</ttl>
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      <title>Mbappe hat-trick fires PSG into French Cup last 16
</title>
      <link>https://english.aaj.tv/news/30275346/</link>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain overcame their Covid crisis and a drone-related interruption to ease into the French Cup last 16 on Monday with a 4-0 win over fourth-division Vannes.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Despite the absence of five PSG players including superstar Lionel Messi and Danilo after positive tests for Covid-19, Mauricio Pochettino's side were never worried by the Brittany minnows.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Defender Presnel Kimpembe, wearing the captain's armband, headed in after 28 minutes just after the match had been interrupted for a minute after a drone flew over the Rabine Stadium in western France.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Kimpembe then set up Mbappe for the second just before the hour mark with the French forward completing a hat-trick in an 18-minute spell.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Mbappe added a second after 71 minutes after good work from Marco Verratti and Xavi Simons adding a third six minutes later for his 150th goal in a PSG jersey.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"I'm happy to get started again," said World Cup winner Mbappe.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"It was not an easy match for us to play, but we were there."&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Pochettino added: "We can be happy with our team performance, very solid. His (Mbappe) goals were the icing on the cake. He is a top player in the world.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"We made a few adjustments at half-time, including the positioning of the midfielders. It allowed us to be more fluid in the flow of the ball, and to find depth."&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Vannes' Cup dream was over with the Brittany side also missing out on their hoped for bonanza after the French government's crowd restrictions with 5,000 spectators only permitted at outdoor events.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Vannes had been hoping for a 9,600 sell-out and according to their president Maxime Ray are set to miss out on revenue of 250,000 euros ($282,000).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"We are missing out on what is a fortune to us," he said.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Covid could also overshadow Tuesday's Lens versus Lille Cup clash with seven players from the visiting team confirmed positive.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"We had four Covid cases which has now become seven," said Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec, without naming the players.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"We're going to re-test all the players tomorrow (Tuesday) morning."&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Monday's drone incident was another in a series of problems French football have had since the start of the 2021/22 season. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sunday's Cup match between fourth-division Jura Sud and Saint-Etienne, in Louhans, was interrupted for about 20 minutes due to smoke and fireworks launched by supporters of the Greens.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Jura Sud goalkeeper Cedric Mensah described his shock on Monday after crowd trouble "cut the legs" of his team in a 4-1 French Cup defeat to Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"I heard a powerful bang and felt a pain in my right ear. I had the impression that a bomb had exploded and felt the pitch vibrate," he said.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;"The doctor explained to me that if it had exploded closer, I could have pierced my eardrum. At the time, it really shook me."&lt;/p&gt;
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      <content:encoded xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><![CDATA[<p><strong>Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain overcame their Covid crisis and a drone-related interruption to ease into the French Cup last 16 on Monday with a 4-0 win over fourth-division Vannes.</strong></p>

<p>Despite the absence of five PSG players including superstar Lionel Messi and Danilo after positive tests for Covid-19, Mauricio Pochettino's side were never worried by the Brittany minnows.</p>

<p>Defender Presnel Kimpembe, wearing the captain's armband, headed in after 28 minutes just after the match had been interrupted for a minute after a drone flew over the Rabine Stadium in western France.</p>

<p>Kimpembe then set up Mbappe for the second just before the hour mark with the French forward completing a hat-trick in an 18-minute spell.</p>

<p>Mbappe added a second after 71 minutes after good work from Marco Verratti and Xavi Simons adding a third six minutes later for his 150th goal in a PSG jersey.</p>

<p>"I'm happy to get started again," said World Cup winner Mbappe.</p>

<p>"It was not an easy match for us to play, but we were there."</p>

<p>Pochettino added: "We can be happy with our team performance, very solid. His (Mbappe) goals were the icing on the cake. He is a top player in the world.</p>

<p>"We made a few adjustments at half-time, including the positioning of the midfielders. It allowed us to be more fluid in the flow of the ball, and to find depth."</p>

<p>Vannes' Cup dream was over with the Brittany side also missing out on their hoped for bonanza after the French government's crowd restrictions with 5,000 spectators only permitted at outdoor events.</p>

<p>Vannes had been hoping for a 9,600 sell-out and according to their president Maxime Ray are set to miss out on revenue of 250,000 euros ($282,000).</p>

<p>"We are missing out on what is a fortune to us," he said.</p>

<p>Covid could also overshadow Tuesday's Lens versus Lille Cup clash with seven players from the visiting team confirmed positive.</p>

<p>"We had four Covid cases which has now become seven," said Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec, without naming the players.</p>

<p>"We're going to re-test all the players tomorrow (Tuesday) morning."</p>

<p>Monday's drone incident was another in a series of problems French football have had since the start of the 2021/22 season. </p>

<p>Sunday's Cup match between fourth-division Jura Sud and Saint-Etienne, in Louhans, was interrupted for about 20 minutes due to smoke and fireworks launched by supporters of the Greens.</p>

<p>Jura Sud goalkeeper Cedric Mensah described his shock on Monday after crowd trouble "cut the legs" of his team in a 4-1 French Cup defeat to Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne.</p>

<p>"I heard a powerful bang and felt a pain in my right ear. I had the impression that a bomb had exploded and felt the pitch vibrate," he said.</p>

<p>"The doctor explained to me that if it had exploded closer, I could have pierced my eardrum. At the time, it really shook me."</p>
]]></content:encoded>
      <category>Sports</category>
      <guid>https://english.aaj.tv/news/30275346</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 14:46:35 +0500</pubDate>
      <author>none@none.com (AFP)</author>
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        <media:title>Despite the absence of five PSG players including superstar Lionel Messi and Danilo after positive tests for Covid-19, Mauricio Pochettino's side were never worried by the Brittany minnows. AFP
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