Montpellier and Angers scrape into French Cup quarterfinals

Updated Apr. 7, 2021 4:21 p.m. ET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Top-flight teams Montpellier and Angers avoided upsets but labored into the French Cup quarterfinals with narrow wins against fourth-tier opposition on Wednesday.

Montpellier is eighth in the first division and still in contention for a Europa League spot next season, while Angers is in midtable.

Montpellier defeated Chateaubriant 1-0 and Angers won by the same score at Sedan, which won the competition in 1956 and '61 and finished runner-up three times before dropping out of professional soccer a few years ago.

Angers-born right back Vincent Manceau, who has played 13 years for his hometown club, scored midway through the first half. Midfielder Florent Mollet grabbed Montpellier's goal in the 62nd minute.

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Second-tier Toulouse, firmly on course for promotion to the first division, earned a 2-1 victory at fifth-tier side Saumur.

Fourth-tier Canet-en-Roussillon, which caused a big upset by knocking out Marseille in the previous round, reached the last eight by beating third-tier Boulogne-sur-Mer 1-0 at home. Rumilly Vallieres also advanced with a 4-0 home win against Le Puy 4-0 in a match between two fourth-tier sides.

In the remaining Cup game, Lyon is in Paris on Thursday to play third-tier Red Star.

Monaco beat Metz on penalty kicks on Tuesday to join defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight.

The quarterfinals are being held in two weeks.

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