PSG players celebrate beating Saint Etienne in Paris on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

 

Mauro Icardi scored a hat trick as Paris Saint-Germain demolished a depleted Saint-Etienne 6-1 on Wednesday to power into the semifinals of the French League Cup. 

Icardi struck the opening goal inside two minutes at the Parc des Princes before teenage Saint-Etienne defender Wesley Fofana was dismissed for a second booking on the half-hour.

PSG ruthlessly capitalized on their man advantage as coach Thomas Tuchel elected to field all four members of his fearsome attacking quartet - Icardi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel di Maria - against a side decimated by injury and illness.

Neymar doubled the lead with a nonchalant chipped finish over goalkeeper Jessy Moulin, who scored a comical own goal on the stroke of halftime.

Di Maria's low cross was hacked by Timothee Kolodziejczak into the legs of teammate Loic Perrin, the ball rolling back off the post before hitting Moulin and trickling over the line.

The hosts bagged a fourth when Mbappe rounded Moulin and cut back for Icardi to add to his tally, and he completed his hat trick when the former raced clear before selflessly presenting the Argentine with a tap-in.

The pair reversed roles for the sixth goal, Icardi controlling superbly and sliding across goal for a lunging Mbappe to turn home from close range. 

Former PSG midfielder Yohan Cabaye hit a consolation goal for Saint-Etienne when he headed in the rebound after his second-half penalty was saved by Sergio Rico. 

PSG have now scored at least four goals in their past six matches. The record eight-time champions will discover their semifinal opponents when the draw is made on Thursday.

Lyon battled into the last four with a 3-1 victory at home to Brest.

Moussa Dembele broke the deadlock on 19 minutes and Houssem Aouar added a second shortly after halftime for Rudi Garcia's side. Samuel Grandsir gave Brest hope with a tidy finish five minutes from time but Jean Lucas made sure of the win with a firm 20-yard drive in stoppage time.

Luiz Araujo and Victor Osimhen were on target as Lille overcame Amiens 2-0. Reims eliminated holders Strasbourg on Tuesday after winning 4-2 on penalties following a goalless draw.

The competition, which includes all the clubs from France's top two divisions and a handful of teams from the third tier, will be suspended indefinitely at the end of this season.