Paris Saint Germain's midfielder Mathieu Bodmer, left, scored in PSG's victory over Angers. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain reached the French Cup final with a 3-1 win at second-division side Angers on Wednesday.
PSG will face league leader Lille in the final on May 14 at the Stade de France. Lille beat Nice 2-0 in the other semifinal on Tuesday.
PSG, which trails Lille by seven points in the league standings with seven rounds remaining, kept its slim hopes of a domestic double alive with goals from Mathieu Bodmer, Nene and Guillaume Hoarau.
Sebastien Renouard pulled one back for Angers.
"We were serious and hardworking tonight," PSG coach Antoine Kombouare said. "We were fortunate enough to score quickly and now we are very proud to be able to defend our title at the Stade de France for a great showdown."
PSG got off to a strong start as Bodmer unleashed a powerful strike from 25 yards which flew just wide in the first minute.
Kombouare's side kept the hosts at bay in the early stages and Brazilian defender Ceara almost broke the deadlock with a long-range volley from the right that left goalkeeper Gregory Malicki stranded but went inches over the bar in the 13th.
PSG playmaker Nene's cross from the left set up Guillaume Hoarau only for the France striker to send his header off the post in the 21st minute.
Following a swift counterattack, Bodmer then notched his sixth goal of the season when he met another precise cross from Nene in the box and slotted home with a right-footed low shot at the far post.
After a rare period of pressure from Angers, Hoarau failed to clear the ball properly near his own box and gave Sebastien Renouard a chance to level but the midfielder saw his volley skim the right post in the 27th.
After controlling the ball, Nene hit the crossbar with a superb volley from the edge of the box just before halftime and Clement Chantome forced Malicki to a good save with a header from the rebound.
PSG goalkeeper Gregory Coupet kept out an effort from David De Freitas with a reflex save in the 50th just before Nene doubled his team's lead at the end of a beautiful collective move.
Nene, who had not found the net since January, scored his 14th goal after volleying a cross from the right past Malicki.
Renouard scored in the 57th minute with a shot in the top corner after Henri Saivet missed an acrobatic volley but Hoarau gave PSG more room to breathe six minutes later from Nene's fine pass.
Angers kept attacking until the end and should have scored when Claudio Keseru hit the bar in the 68th but was left ruing its missed chances.
"I think we were dignified in defeat against a beautiful PSG team," Angers coach Jean-Louis Garcia said. "We were too shy in the first half then we threatened them but our two counterattack goals hurt us."
