Zlatan Ibrahimovic's hat-trick helped Paris Saint-Germain earn a place in the final of the Coupe de France with a 4-1 win over Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes this evening.
Victory for Laurent Blanc's side established a clash with Ligue 2 outfit Auxerre, who defeated current holders Guingamp in the competition's other semi-final.
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The home side started in an eager fashion as Ibrahimovic whipped in the perfect ball for Ezequiel Lavezzi, who saw his header stopped by Stephane Ruffier in the Etienne goal.
Laurent Blanc's men were given the perfect chance to take the lead when Lavezzi was brought down inside the box, leaving Ibrahimovic to lash home from the spot to make it 1-0.
The lead was not to last too long, however, as Etienne striker Romain Hamouma gambled well inside the PSG area to head beyond a helpless Nicolas Douchez in the 25th minute.
The visitors should have pushed ahead five minutes later when Gregory van der Wiel handed a gift to Mevlut Erding, but he somehow shot wide of the target with Douchez seemingly stranded.
The Parisians almost made them pay for their profligacy just before the break when Javier Pastore showed some neat skill to find Ibrahimovic, who was put under just enough pressure to make his chance go begging.
The home side continued to dominate in the second half and they found an important goal in the 60th minute through Ezequiel Lavezzi, who showed great determination to break free and head in from Pastore's cross.
With Etienne appearing less threatening in the closing stages of the game, Ibrahimovic returned to grab his second of the night and make it 3-1 when he struck home with a standout solo effort in the 81st minute.
The Swedish international capped off a memorable evening in front of goal when he earned his hat-trick in injury time, having produced a thunderous shot at Ruffier's near post to leave the final score at 4-1.
Christopher Dodd
