Coupe de France: Brest, PSG Advance as Lille Stunned in Upset

If you missed the action, here's a quick recap:

LOSC Lille 1-1 USL Dunkerque (4-5 on penalties)

It was Ligue 1 McDonald’s going up against Ligue 2 BKT with the second-division side pulling off the upset on penalties in the latest installment of Le derby des Flandres. After a scoreless first half, the goal-scoring picked up late in the final 45 minutes to make for a thrilling finish.

After a wild sequence in the box, the ball fell to Jonathan David, who beat an opponent before passing it to André Gomes. The Portuguese midfielder finishes the play with a powerful shot into the top corner for the goal in the 85th minute.

When Lille believed they had their ticket to the quarterfinals, Dunkerque leveled the contest in the second half stoppage time. Kay Tejan scored the equalizer for Dunkerque with a well-placed header from a beautiful cross by Abner.

Dunkerque couldn’t have started the penalty shootout worse, missing their first two attempts. Lille, on the other hand, converted their first three, but in the final two shots, Les Dogues allowed the opposition a chance to get back into it.

Bruno Génésio and his team missed their last two penalty shots, preventing them from sealing the win. Les Maritimes converted their final three attempts, sending the shootout into sudden death, where they scored both of their shots while Benjamin André missed the decisive one for Lille to allow Dunkerque to advance.

Stade Brestois 2-1 Troyes

Another Coupe de France match saw a goalless first half but a thrilling finish was Brest-Troyes. In the 49th minute, Romain Faivre sliced ​​through the Troyes defense in the middle and set up Ibrahim Salah, who calmly beat Nicolas Lemaître.

Despite taking the lead in the second half, Brest conceded their advantage a few minutes later to Troyes. In the 55th minute, Rafiki Saïd pulled off a nifty step-over on the left side of the box, and his cross was deflected into his own net by Hugo Magnetti, leveling the game at one-all.

The contest was nearly heading to a penalty kick shootout, but Brest broke the hearts of Troyes supporters hoping to pull off the upset. In the second half stoppage time, Abdallah Sima scored with a brilliant backheel off a long cross from the right to give Brest the 2-1 lead and eventual win.

Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Le Mans FC

The match between PSG and Le Mans was tightly contested, with the minor details ultimately giving the Ligue 1 McDonald's leaders the edge. A mistake in Le Mans' build-up play in the 25th minute proved to be costly.

After receiving the ball from his goalkeeper, Alexandre Lauray attempted a short pass, but it was intercepted by Gonçalo Ramos. The ball then reached Désiré Doué, who controlled it and calmly slotted it past Ewan Hatfout with a right-footed angled shot.

In the 71st minute, Bradley Barcola sealed the win for PSG as he sprinted past the defenders to collect a long ball over the top. He took it into the box, cut inside, and fired a powerful shot under the crossbar from a tight angle, beating the goalkeeper.

The contest also marked the return of PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe after being out since February 2023.

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