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Over the weekend, the sixteenth finals of the Coupe de France tournament were played. Victories were achieved and the battles in the round of sixteen will continue almost all the favorites of the "Ligue 1" teams.
The champions of "Ligue 1" faced the amateur league team "Laon" and fell behind after Vincent Koffmann scored in the 20th minute. However, a few minutes later, Francois Clercas equalized the score, and goals from Sidney Govou and Fred secured Lyon's team victory.
The same result was achieved by the club that is slowly finding its game. In a match against the lower league team "Amiens," "Nantes" took the lead in the last minute of the first half with a successful penalty kick by their new recruit, Belgian Luigi Pierroni, after which one "Amiens" player was sent off the field.
Gaining a quantitative advantage, "Nantes" pressed their opponents and just 12 minutes later Luigi Pierroni doubled his team's lead. However, "Amiens" managed to soften the result - Bertrand Fayolle scored in the 75th minute. The final point in these matches was scored in the last minute by Dennis Oliechas, who scored the third goal for "Nantes."
A more challenging match followed for the club at the top of the "Ligue 1" standings. The main match time ended in a draw with another "Ligue 1" team 0-0, and only a goal scored by Mamadou Niango in the last minute of extra time allowed Marseille's club to break through to the next stage of the tournament.
After a series of penalty kicks, the club that failed to overcome the "Ligue 2" team "Niort" during the regular match time also advanced to the next stage. Bordeaux's club took the lead after two goals from Juan Pablo Francia in the 36th minute and led 2-0. "Niort" also lost a player when David Bouard was sent off the field. However, this setback seemed to galvanize the second league team, and Malico Couturier's goal in the 90th minute tied the score. Just after, Malico Couturier was also sent off the field, leaving "Niort" with nine players.
Almost halfway through the first half of extra time, to the amazement of all the Bordeaux fans gathered in the stadium, Benoit Leroy's accurate shot defeated Bordeaux's goalkeeper and brought his team ahead. Bordeaux managed to equalize only in the 112th minute when Edixon Perea scored a goal. In the penalty shootout, the hosts were more precise, winning 5-4.
The club also had problems with a team from a lower division. "Sochaux," successful in "Ligue 1," fell behind after conceding a goal in the 4th minute to "Lyon Duchere," playing in the fifth league. However, as the match approached the end, Romain Pitau equalized, and in the final minutes, Alvaro Santos secured a victory for his team.
The "Ligue 1" underdog was eliminated in the penalty shootout, losing 4-2 to the "Montpellier" club from the second league. The main match ended in a goalless draw, and both teams scored a goal in extra time.
Results of the sixteenth finals:
"Amiens" 1 - 3 "Nantes"
"Calais" 1 - 2 "Sedan"
"Sochaux" 2 - 1 "Lyon Duchere"
"Le Mans" 0 - 1 "Marseille"
"Laon" 1 - 3 "Lyon"
"Boisguillaume" 1 - 1 "Vannes" (after a penalty shootout 5-6)
"Clermont" 1 - 0 "Rodez Aveyron"
"Bordeaux" 3 - 3 "Niort" (after a penalty shootout 5-4)
"Pontivy" 0 - 2 "Montceau"
"Orleans 15 US" 1 - 3 "Lens"
"Romorantin" 1 - 2 "Valenciennes"
"Montpellier" 1 - 1 "Nice" (after a penalty shootout 4-2)
"Jarville" 3 - 5 "Libourne"
"Strasbourg" 2 - 3 "Lille"
