Lille need extra-time to topple Compiegne
Reuters - Saturday 21 January 2012, 22:48
Auxerre and Ajaccio were the top-flight
fall guys in the French Cup last 32 when they were knocked out
by lower division teams on Saturday.
The competition often provides an array of shocks and
holders Lille and Girondins Bordeaux narrowly avoided joining
their Ligue 1 counterparts on the Cup scrapheap.
Four-times winners Auxerre were humbled 2-1 at home by
second-tier Chateauroux, who triumphed thanks to a two-minute
double from Maxime Bourgeois just after the half-hour mark.
Fourth-division Bourg-Peronnas beat Ligue 1 bottom side
Ajaccio 3-2 after extra-time.
Lille were given a mighty scare against fourth-tier
Compiegne before Bruno Gianni's goal after 114 minutes sealed a
1-0 extra-time win.
Last season's league and cup double winners laboured against
their north eastern neighbours and Compiegne almost pulled off a
shock but Hubert Aulon's second-half drive grazed the bar.
Lille, who had lost their last two matches, put out an
almost full strength side but struggled on a tough pitch in
heavy rain in Beauvais where tiny Compiegne opted to play the
home tie.
"What counts in the cup is going through. To go far in the cup you sometimes have to get through via the back door," Lille
coach Rudi Garcia told reporters.
Bordeaux needed a 4-3 penalty shootout win to overcome third-division Creteil-Lusitanos after a 2-2 away draw.
Top-flight Dijon beat Ligue 2 Istres 2-1, Evian eased to a
2-0 win at fourth-league AS Valence and Stade Rennes won the
Ligue 1 battle with Nice 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw.
Paris Saint-Germain won 4-0 at lower league Sable sur Sarthe on
Friday. The remaining last 32 games follow on Sunday and Monday.