Di Maria double helps PSG forget Neymar news
Hit by the news of Neymar's impending surgery on Thursday (AEDT), Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the last four of the Coupe de France by beating Marseille.
Paris Saint-Germain put the disappointment of Neymar's foot surgery to one side to thump rival Marseille 3-0 and reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.
The Ligue 1 leader announced on Thursday (AEDT) that the world's most expensive player will miss the second leg of its UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie with Real Madrid, which it trails 3-1, next week after the decision was made for him to have surgery on a cracked metatarsal.
While Neymar's prolonged absence may prove fatal to its UEFA Champions League hopes, PSG reaffirmed that it will have little impact on its domestic success as Angel Di Maria's double saw it into a fourth successive Coupe de France semi-final.
Di Maria settled the contest with a pair of deflected strikes, the first a vicious shot from outside the box, either side of half-time.
Deserved gloss to the scoreline was added courtesy of a wonderful team move finished off by Edinson Cavani, as Marseille again suffered at PSG's hands having lost by the same scoreline in the weekend’s Ligue 1 meeting, where Neymar suffered his injury.
The win keeps PSG firmly on course for a domestic treble and it will be one of just two top-flight teams in the last four after shock triumphs for third-tier Chambly and Les Herbiers, while a free-flowing second-half showing will perhaps give Unai Emery added hope it can fight back against Madrid even without its world-record signing.