Nancy (AFP)

End of the dream for lovers of Epinal: Saint-Etienne suffered but joined Rennes in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France by beating the Vosges team (2-1), Thursday in Nancy.

In a well-stocked and boiling Marcel-Picot stadium, the Spinaliens failed to repeat the feat achieved in the previous round against Lille on their Colombière lawn (2-1).

Led at half-time, as against Losc, Xavier Collin's men this time did not have the resources to reverse the trend. And it's not for lack of trying.

The Vosges people still displayed an admirable face and raised doubts of Stéphanois who had to fight to join the semi-finals, where they will receive Rennes, the defending champion, at the beginning of March.

Denis Bouanga (37th) and Mahdi Camara (58th) had placed ASSE on the road to success, but a penalty obtained and transformed by Jean-Philippe Krasso (62nd), double scorer against Lille, kept Epinal in the game until at the end.

As in the previous round where they had surprised the Lille people by their aggressiveness and their determination, the Spinaliens started the meeting with beating drum and imposed a pressing which greatly hampered Saint-Etienne.

The SAS skilfully played its chance on each occasion: thus, on free kicks from Nicolas Borodine, Christopher Makengo did not fit his head (12th) then Jean-Philippe Krasso missed his attempt to return acrobatic (28th).

- Cold efficiency -

Mistreated, the Greens then demonstrated a cold efficiency shortly before half-time: after a ball lost by Souleymane Sangaré, Franck Honorat shifted at the entrance to the Bouanga area, which found the opposite skylight of a superb coiled strike (0-1, 37th).

On the return from the locker room, the Vosgiens resumed their offensives, but they were surprised: on a center of Debuchy, Camara chained a control of the chest and a strike which came to stay flush with the right post (0-2 , 58e).

Saint-Etienne thought he had done the hard part ... but that was without counting on the tremendous state of mind of amateur players, who never gave up and reduced the score from the penalty spot by Krasso, who ignited Picot ( 1-2, 62e).

Carried by the public, the SAS continued to push: so Krasso attempted a long shot (84th) then Mickael Biron was narrowly taken over by Fofana (86th). The Spinaliens have multiplied corners and centers in the Forézian area in the last minutes, but to no avail.

If Saint-Etienne won the last ticket for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, Epinal won the respect of French football.

© 2020 AFP