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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Sport
Paul Myers

Annecy shock Marseille to reach semis of Coupe de France

Igor Tudor's Marseille side were favourites to claim the 2023 Coupe de France but they wre eliminated in the last eight by second division Annecy. AP - Daniel Cole

Second division Annecy will on Thursday discover their semi-final opponents in the Coupe de France after a penalty shoot-out win over Ligue 1 giants Marseille.

Jordan Veretout gave Marseille the lead at the Velodrome in the 29th minute.

But in the second-half, the visitors scored twice in six minutes through Moise Sahi Dion and Kevin Mouanga to turn the tie on its head and raise the prospect of a shock.

Marseille, who had knocked out Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16, pushed for the equaliser and got a chance when they were awarded a penalty in the 85th minute.

But veteran striker Alexis Sanchez fluffed the kick. His blushes were saved deep into stoppage time when substitute Francois Mughe grabbed the equaliser.

Though Annecy's Ahmed Kashi missed their first penalty, Nuno Tavares botched Marseille's chance to keep their noses in front.

With the score at 4-4, the session went into sudden death. Leonardo Balerdi's failure to slot the ball home sparked wild celebration among the Annecy players and coaching staff.

"We always we believed we could do it," said Annecy coach Laurent Guyot said.

"There's a big difference between us and Marseille so we had to be as smart as possible. Even after they equalised we didn't drop our heads. The players were brilliant ... semi-finals of the Coupe de France. An incredible result."

Progress

Annecy will face either Lyon, holders Nantes or Toulouse.

The defending champions saw off Lens 2-1 on Wednesday night while Toulouse thrashed second division Rodez 6-1.

Marseille, riding high in Ligue 1, had been anointed favourites for the trophy.

"It's a huge disappointment to be out," said boss Igor Tudor. "We've beaten PSG and Rennes – two top sides in Ligue 1 and we're out ... I don't believe the players underestimated Annecy.

"They simply played the most extraordinary match and on our side, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong."

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