Annecy have produced one of the all-time great Coupe de France upsets. The tenth-placed Ligue 2 side have just beaten Ligue 1 second-placed outfit Marseille 7-6 in the penalties shootout in a 60.000+ strong Vélodrome in the quarter-finals.
For Les Phocéens, it is a crushing disappointment as they were the overwhelming favourites to win the Cup, let alone the tie, after defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round. Nobody could have expected this outcome after France international midfielder Jordan Vérétout had opened the scoring for the hosts.
But in the second half, the Savoy side completely turned the tie on its head and reduced the Vélodrome to stunned silence. First, Annecy striker Moise Sahi Dion equalised with a crisp shot. Then, six minutes later, centre-back Kevin Mouanga got the lead for his side thanks to a towering header from a corner.
Marseille rushed to salvage an equalising goal and got the opportunity to do so. The hosts got a penalty in the 84th minute but Annecy goalkeeper Thomas Callens deflected the tame attempt from Chilean international Alexis Sanchez. Callens has stopped an impressive total of six penalties during his side’s run in the Coupe de France. However, during his first-ever game with Marseille’s senior squad, 18-year-old François Régis Mughe equalised in the 96th minute with a fluke goal to throw Vélodrome into bedlam.
In a long penalty shoot-out, Argentine centre-back Leonardo Balerdi completely missed the target to give Annecy their most historic win. The Ligue 2 outfit will either face holders Nantes, free-scoring Toulouse or new favourite Lyon in the semi-finals.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
