Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice to help Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-0 win against Marseille in the last 16 of the French Cup on Wednesday as David Beckham made his full debut for his new club. Beckham had an efficient game, and at times excelled, but Swedish striker Ibrahimovic made the difference as he opened the scoring 11 minutes before half time and then netted the second from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the area just past the hour mark.
It was PSG's second win against their great rivals in four days and was achieved by the same scoreline. However, unlike Sunday's league clash, there could be no question as to which was the superior side as PSG dominated from start to finish at the Parc des Princes.
The win keeps alive PSG's chances of winning an unprecedented domestic league and cup double, but the game was of much greater interest globally thanks to the presence of veteran Englishman Beckham. "Beckham played well, as he usually does," said Carlo Ancelotti. "It was a better match from us than Sunday. Marseille played with a different strategy and that made it easier for us to boss possession. "We were more aggressive and controlled the game well."
After his 15-minute cameo off the bench in Sunday's Classique, former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Beckham was introduced to the starting line-up as Ancelotti made a total of eight changes to his team in a bid to maintain freshness. In the absence of Thiago Motta due to suspension and Marco Verratti due to injury, the 37-year-old Beckham slotted fairly seamlessly into the central midfield holding role. On Tuesday, Saint-Etienne beat Lille 3-2, while Ligue 1 strugglers Troyes and Evian-Thonon-Gaillard also advanced to the quarter-finals.
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