PSG to face Pays de Cassel in French Cup Round of 32

Just hours before visiting Rennes for the 19th game of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday, Jan. 15, PSG got to know their rival in the French Cup Round of 32: sixth-division minnows from Pays de Cassel.

Pays de Cassel, a club from the north of France, defeated Wasquehal in a penalty shootout (5-4) after drawing their game over the first 90 minutes of play. It was, truth be told, a penalty win that Pays de Cassel will never forget considering they are now scheduled to face giants PSG next Monday, Jan. 23.

The French Football Federation held the draw of the French Cup round of 32 games last Sunday with all matchups getting decided for the games to be played on the weekend of Jan. 20 through Jan. 22. PSG had to wait to know their final rival nearly for a week, though.

Wasquehal defeated Reims on Wednesday as part of their postponed game (from November...) but they were ultimately defeated 1-1 (5-4 after penalties) by Pays de Cassel on Friday.

Pays de Cassel defeated Wasquehal in a postponed Round of 64 matchup; will face PSG next

PSG asked the FFF for a postponement of the Round of 32 game to Monday, Jan. 23 as Paris Saint-Germain will be playing a friendly in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 19 in which Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to make his debut. The FFF accepted the request earlier this week, allowing PSG to play on Monday instead of Fri/Sat/Sun as all other teams involved in the Round of 32 games.

After the concession by the FFF, PSG will play their cup match on Monday, Jan. 23, with the kick-off scheduled to take place at 8:45 PM CEST.

Pays de Cassel will host PSG in their Round of 32 game. They will have just over a week to organize everything to host the Parisian, as they'll need to find a proper stadium to host the Ligue 1 behemoths considering the rules in place for French Cup games.

Kevin Rudent was the player who scored the decisive shot on goal for Pays de Cassel in the penalty shootout, sealing the victory for the tiny club from the north.