The first matches of the 32nd finals, this Friday, gave rise to some great fights and an exploit. Entente Feignies-Aulnoye, a club from the Nord department, playing in Nationale 2 (4th French division), eliminated (1-0) Quevilly-Rouen-Métropole (Ligue 2).
Three years ago, the northern club, then in N3, stood out by already reaching this stage of the event, stopped by PSG, with a score of 3-0 at the Hainaut stadium in Valenciennes. The Northerners are back and will this time play a round of 16 for the first time in their history. Now playing in N2 (4th national level), they brought down the Normans of Quevilly-Rouen Métropole, a Ligue 2 team. In their Didier-Eloy stadium, Feignies qualified thanks to a goal from Parmentier. Off-center on the right side, the attacker fired a sumptuous cross-shot which ended up in the opposite corner of Bonnevie (1-0, 12th).
Nantes was scared
On the Pau field (Ligue 2), Nantes, outgoing finalist, was manhandled for 45 minutes, returning to the locker room with a goal behind (1-0), after Sylla, on a shot blocked from inside the surface, managed to deceive Lafont (1-0, 15th). Jocelyn Gourvennec must have found the words, because after the break, the Canaries, who remain on three defeats in Ligue 1, found the resources to equalize, following a good cross from Sissoko to Mollet whose resumption of the left hit the mark (1-1, 48th).
Nantes then made the difference through Kadewere, its transfer window recruit, from OL, in the 80th minute (1-2). After which, Pau sank, conceding a new goal from Kadewere (1-3, 83rd) and a last one from Bamba (1-4, 88th).
Rodez and Valenciennes, two Ligue 2 teams, asserted their theoretical superiority by winning respectively 4-0 over Challans and 2-0 over Sarreguemines. At the end of a very indecisive match, Racing (N2) won 2-1 at the last minute on the field of Chambly (N2), after Ricol missed a penalty at the very end of the match and made up for it by scoring the winning goal in the last minute.
