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Paris Saint-Germain threw away their last remaining route into Europe as they gave up a two-goal lead to succumb 3-2 away to Auxerre in the Coupe de France.
PSG Coach Laurent Fournier said before the match that if his side lost this Round of 16 tie everyone would think it was normal, but there was nothing normal about the way the holders ultimately went down.
Club captain José Pierre Fanfan put the capital side in front with a header as early as the second minute, and they looked set to wipe out memories of their loss to Auxerre in the 2003 final when Reinaldo summoned all his determination to coax the ball into the net halfway through the half.
Mario Yepes nearly added a third with an audacious lob that sailed just over, before Bonaventure Kalou (pictured) brought the hosts back into the tie when he was left unmarked to nod in a corner after half an hour.
Auxerre piled on the pressure either side of the break, just as they had against Ajax last week, and the visitors eventually caved in as Kalou back-heeled the ball across the area and Zimbabwean striker Benjani Mwaruwari fired past Jérôme Alonzo to set up the prospect of a breath-taking final 15 minutes.
Before the Parisians could react, though, they were staring at defeat when Kanga Akalé strode into the area and whipped a shot into the corner of Alonzo's goal.
PSG's stand-in 'keeper did excellently to save a penalty from Benjani in stoppage-time, but his teammates failed to find a breakthrough at the other end and it is Auxerre who now go through to the quarter-finals.
Auxerre 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Scorers: Fanfan (P) 2, Reinaldo (P) 24, Kalou (A) 31, Benjani (A) 77, Akalé (A) 79
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