Belfort (AFP)

Belfort in the middle of a dream: the modest National 2 club knocked down Montpellier, fourth in Ligue 1, Tuesday in the knockout stages of the Coupe de France, winning on penalties (0-0 ap, 5 tab at 4) to reach the first quarter of its history.

In the small Roger-Serzian stadium, fans of ASM Belfort, who play in the fourth division, lived an unforgettable evening against the MHSC, unrecognizable and forced to evolve during the last 30 minutes at ten against eleven.

"It's a crazy thing. We dreamed of it and we did it," savored the belgian trainer Anthony Hacquard. "It's a typical Cup match with the little one who struggles with his values."

To achieve the feat, the Belfortains had the advantage of being in numerical superiority when the Montpellier goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli knowingly stopped a ball from his hand outside its surface, collecting a direct red card (90th + 3).

And since Montpellier found the post at the end of additional time (90th + 7), the Hérault team was forced to play an additional 30 minutes at ten against eleven.

- "A big blow behind the head" -

"We had a very bad evening, we missed our match," said Montpellier coach Michel Der Zakarian. "We have to congratulate this Belfort team for playing their luck skilfully and eliminating us. It's a shame, it was a big blow behind the head anyway."

Because in overtime, Montpellier posted glaring shortcomings, far from its recent series of five wins in a row in all competitions. The huge failure of Téji Savanier, who sent the ball into the clouds alone a few meters from goal (119th), illustrated the ills of the Hérault club, very shaken before challenging Paris SG in Ligue 1 at Parc des Princes on Saturday ...

Driven by their 4,500 supporters, the Belfortains took advantage of this during the penalty shootout. After a failure on both sides, local goalkeeper Eddy Ehlinger deflected Damien Le Tallec's attempt at 4-4.

And in the process, the Belgian midfielder Maxime Loichot took Dimitry Bertaud on the wrong foot to plunge Belfort into euphoria.

A few seconds later, the ground was invaded by a boiling audience. The party was just beginning for the club from Belfort, which had already fallen from two professional clubs in the previous rounds (Gazélec Ajaccio and Nancy) and which will play in the quarter-finals next month (February 11-12). Like in a dream.

© 2020 AFP