Zlatan Ibrahimovic's second-half strike saw Paris Saint-Germain restore some authority over St Etienne as they advanced to the semifinals of the Coupe de la Ligue with a 1-0 away win.
St Etienne, who had been unbeaten in domestic action since Oct. 5, moved above PSG into third place in Ligue 1 with their win over Reims on Saturday, but were made to bow to the champions on their home turf on Tuesday night.
In an even first half, Ibrahimovic had two efforts saved by Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier, while Saint-Etienne midfielder Moustapha Sall's firm downward header was cleared off the line.
After Ruffier saved winger Lucas' effort midway through the second half, Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead in the 72nd minute when he chested in Lucas' cross from the right, although Ruffier was adamant he had scooped the ball away before it crossed the line.
Tuesday's other quarterfinal saw Bastia -- who stunned PSG 4-2 in the league at the weekend -- advance with a 3-1 win over Rennes, but they had to come from behind to do it, helped by two second-half red cards for the visitors.
Rennes took a 12th minute lead through Sylvain Armand, but the game turned in the second half. Sebastien Squillaci levelled seconds after the restart, and Rennes then imploded after the hour mark.
First, Anders Konradsen collected a second yellow card in the 65th minute. Six minutes later, Romain Denze turned the ball into his own net. And soon after that, Ermir Lenjani was shown a straight red for a poor challenge on Guillaime Gillet, leaving Rennes with nine men and little hope.
However, it took until the 89th minute for Bastia to strike the final blow as substitute Djibril Cisse wrapped up the win.
Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.