Paris Saint-Germain are into the Coupe de France round of 32 for the 25th consecutive time after opening their account for the new year with a 3-0 win away at Montpellier HSC. Played at Altrad Stadium, on a horrendous pitch, Laurent Blanc's men showed character, determination and fight to battle with La Paillade before eventually pulling away.
Goals from Clement Chantome, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lucas Moura secured PSG's progress, but it took until the 63rd minute for the opener to arrive. Up until then, it had been a real test of Les Parisiens' desire to do well in this competition -- the only one the capital club have not got their hands on since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011 -- and it was one that the much-maligned French champions passed rather convincingly.
Central to the success was opening goal scorer Chantome and fellow midfielder Blaise Matuidi. Deployed in the middle, the pair were excellent as PSG scrapped for the ball and tried their best to retain possession before the former's simple finish from an Ibrahimovic pass. The two were ideal for Blanc's 4-4-2 diamond formation that opted for functional players instead of those with stronger technical abilities.
Chantome was tenacious and reminded his coach of what he can do while rumours of a move away this month continue to swirl, and Matuidi was back to his irrepressible best. The pair embraced a bad situation and made the most of it, epitomising the improved character PSG showed in their first game of 2015.
Gone was the complacency and poor attitude from the first half of the season and it was replaced by a newfound focus and drive. It felt like this team really wanted the victory and to progress into the next round where they will now host Girondins de Bordeaux.
It was exactly the performance PSG needed to put the recent Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani debacle behind them. Not only did the performance and result justify Blanc's sanctioning of the pair, it also suggested that they could be kept out for longer than their two-game internal ban. Crucially, all the players came through unscathed as well, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- chief among the pre-match concerns in light of the poor pitch condition -- playing a key role in the latter stages of the contest.
Another player to also impress late on was substitute Javier Pastore.
The Argentine playmaker missed the final few games of 2014, as well as the friendly clash with Inter Milan in Morocco, because of a nagging injury. Making his comeback, though, El Flaco was sensational in the 14 minutes he was given late in the game. Supplier of Ibrahimovic's headed goal with an excellent cross, the South American also played a role in Lucas' third. It was encouraging to see that PSG's No. 27 has not lost any of his form during his recent minor lay-off.
Lucas' performance was also worthy of praise; the Brazilian was once again one of the team's most dangerous players and one of the few capable of doing anything vaguely creative on a horrible surface. The 22-year-old netted his seventh goal in all competitions so far this season and is continuing to enjoy an excellent campaign. Played up top alongside Ibrahimovic, his deployment in the middle and as the Swede's partner could become more than just a temporary solution if Blanc decides to extend Lavezzi and Cavani's exiles.
Winning the Coupe de France is one of PSG's main aims this season and this victory keeps the French champions in the competition and in with a chance of ultimate success. It did not matter how Blanc's men won at Altrad Stadium on the night, it was just imperative that they did. What was most impressive, though, was that they were not just happy scraping by. The team showed great intensity and concentration for the full 90 minutes to kill the game off and finish a scrappy contest with a flourish. The performance and result bode well for the future.