Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvey Safonov saved two penalties to send his side through to the next round of the Coupe de France after beating Lens 4-3 on penalties.
Safonov, replacing the injured Gianluigi Donnarumma, saved attempts from twelve yards from M'Bala Nzola and Andy Diouf to seal their passage to the last 32.
The Parisians thought they would take the lead in the 26th minute when Achraf Hakimi finished past Herve Koffi, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
But Lens took the lead just after the hour mark when Nzola accidentally turned Abdukodir Khusanov's goal ball past Safonov.
Lens' joy was short-lived, however, when PSG substitute Goncalo Ramos restored parity four minutes later, firing into the roof of the net after a Kevin Danso error.
Neither side could find a winning goal, with penalties deciding who would face fourth-tier Espaly in the next round of the competition.
After watching the first six penalties of the shootout fall, Lens was the first to blink when goalscorer Nzola saw his penalty saved by Safonov.
Barcola then put away his penalty, before Safonov kept out Andy Diouf to keep PSG's hopes of winning a 16th Coupe de France title alive.
The year 2024 ends as it began! Progress with @coupedefrance! #RCLPSG 1-1 pic.twitter.com/u7CHBUYIiN
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 22, 2024
Data Debrief: Supersubs make the difference
PSG have struggled to compete in Ligue 1 this season, topping the table with ten points, but they had to work for their win over Lens.
Luis Enrique's side finished the match with an expected goals total (xG) of 1.74 from their 18 attempts, compared to Lens' 1.05 from their 12 attempts.
And it was thanks to Ramos that he brought them on equal terms. He finished the match with a team-high xG of 0.71, despite coming into action in the 66th minute.
The Portugal international also became only the second player in PSG history to score in three consecutive Coupe de France matches when he started as a substitute, with Jacky Remond the other player to do so between October and November 1970.
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