My Coupe Runneth Over: The Finals Are Set, Sadly There’s No Fourth-Tier Team Involved

By: Sam | April 18th, 2007

Who doesn’t love cup magic? There’s always that one amateur team that knocks off a few big boys before bowing out very respectfully in the quarters. Well, France has a history of such happenings, and this year’s Coupe de France was no different. Montceau-les-Mines, the not-so-much-powerhouse that’s having a tough time breathing in France’s fourth tier. Drawn against fourth-place Sochaux, the exploits and perhaps the drizzle of luck that brought them wins over Lens and Bordeaux were being called upon once again. In the other semi, Marseille was going for their second straight final against a scared and small Nantes team on the brink of relegation.

All eyes were on the young dragonslayers as they took on yet another mighty opponent. Mind you, Sochaux had quite a number of chances but couldn’t find the back of Romain Crétin’s net. Montceau had a few themselves, but in all fairness, the match was dominated by the Ligue 1 outfit. The dream looked very much alive throughout the match for Montceau. They even brought it to extra time. However, the efficient Sochaliens stopped all hopes of another upset when Sébastien Grax finished some fine work at the top of the box and proceeded to pivot and slam home the opener. Romain Pitau impeccably put away the second to hush the Bourgogne crowd. Sochaux are going to the final.

You’d think that the other match, featuring two top-flight teams would be more of an even contest. You guessed it, it wasn’t. Fabien Barthez and his heir, Cedric Carrasso piled up the saves in the first twenty minutes, before Nantes’ Payet screamed in a shot that shook the post. Five minutes later, Niang missed the unmissable when he could’ve put the ball into the gaping net after Maoulida had offered him the opener on a silver platter but he completely mishit the ball. Half an hour in, however, Franck Ribéry, the dumbass, gained a tiny bit of cred with yours truly with a truly awesome strike. Up one at half-time, Ribéry was subbed, injured. Maoulida finished off Nasri’s hundred miles per hour run to put OM up by two, before Djib Cissé added the third on his own rebound just minutes after being subbed on.

There’s your final, ladies and gents:

Olympique de Marseille vs. FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, 12 May 2007, Stade de France, Saint-Denis.