French Cup holder Toulouse and 10-time winner Marseille both lose on penalties in round of 32
PARIS (AP) — French Cup holder Toulouse was eliminated in the round of 32 after agonizingly losing a lengthy penalty shootout at third-tier Rouen on Sunday.
Marseille also went out on penalties, falling to 2019 tournament winner Rennes 9-8 in a tense shootout where both goalkeepers goaded the penalty takers in front of an impassive referee.
When nervous-looking Marseille captain Samuel Gigot hit the crossbar at 8-8, it was down to 18-year-old defender Mahamadou Nagida to win it for Rennes and his firm shot went in off the underside of the bar.
The match had finished 1-1, with Rennes forward Martin Terrier equalizing in the second half after midfielder Jordan Veretout put Marseille ahead in the 29th minute.
The long wait goes on for Marseille, which won the last of its 10 French Cups in 1989 and has lost in four finals since.
Needing an injury-time equalizer to earn a 3-3 draw earlier Sunday, Toulouse then lost the shootout 12-11.
It was particularly frustrating for Chile left back Gabriel Suazo, who scored his first spot kick and then missed Toulouse’s 12th to give Rouen a chance for victory. Midfielder Abdeljalil Sahloune, who also scored with his first kick, converted again to put the Normandy side through.
It means both of last season’s finalists are out with Nantes losing on Saturday.
Another top-flight side joined them as Reims — sixth in the first division — lost 5-4 on penalties at third-tier Sochaux after salvaging a 2-2 draw with a late equalizer from defender Emmanuel Agbadou.
Elsewhere, coach Patrick Vieira’s Strasbourg coasted to a 3-1 win at Clermont.
OTHER MATCHES
Lille, which is fifth in Ligue 1, scraped a 1-0 win at fourth-tier Racing Club on the outskirts of Paris thanks to a goal from Iceland midfielder Hakon Haraldsson. Top-flight Le Havre also labored as it won 1-0 at at third-tier Châteauroux
Record 14-time winner Paris Saint-Germain advanced on Saturday along with Nice, whose match was marred by crowd violence. ___
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