PARIS: St Etienne had goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier to thank as they reached the League Cup semi-finals by beating Paris St Germain 5-3 on penalties after the game finished goalless late on Tuesday.
Ruffier blocked Thiago Silva’s weak spot kick to effectively seal the home team’s passage into the last four after a tense affair at the Geoffroy Guichard ended 0-0 after extra time.
Ruffier started brightly and never lost concentration in a game dominated by PSG whose forwards just could not beat him.
PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic intercepted an awful pass from a St Etienne defender and rushed into the box but Ruffier kept his composure to parry the Swede’s low shot with his right foot.
St Etienne responded quickly but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s header was cleared off the goal line by Clement Chantome.
PSG striker Ezequiel Lavezzi then had a goal disallowed for offside and while Les Verts had most possession, the visitors looked more dangerous. But were unable win the match. REUTERS
