Annecy (AFP)

Rumilly-Vallières, National 2 club (4th div.), Pursues his dream: the Haut-Savoyards qualified for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France after their 2-0 victory on Tuesday at the Parc des Sports d'Annecy in the expense of a Toulouse team (Ligue 2) weakened by the cases of Covid-19.

It is only the fourth team evolving in this echelon to reach the last four of the event for 21 years after Calais (2000, finalist), Montceau-les-Mines (2007) and Quevilly (2010).

To reach this stage of the competition, the GFA 74, founded in 2018 on the merger of several clubs from the Albanian, a region located between Lake Bourget and Lake Annecy, and promoted this season to N2, has crossed nine rounds, notably eliminating Annecy (National, 3rd div.) and Le Puy (N2) in the 16th and 8th finals.

The team of coach Fatsah Amghar, deprived of the championship since October and which only has the Cup to play in competition, took the advantage in the first period on a goal scored by Mathieu Guillaud receiving a free kick from captain Alexi Peuget and on which TFC goalkeeper Carl Pettersson committed a hand fault (19th).

At the end of the game, a goal against his own camp by Anthony Rouault, again on a Peuget free kick taken over by Guillaud, ensured the qualification of Rumilly-Vallières (2-0, 83rd).

Apart from a resumption of the head of Wesley Saïd, easily captured by the goalkeeper Dan Delaunay (13th), the only attempt on target from the TFC, the GFA has well contained a timid and too static opponent.

- Twelve cases of Covid at TFC -

The Toulousains were unable to chain the slightest collective movement during a meeting of a fairly low technical level and disputed on a bumpy lawn.

In the second half, a shot from Efthymios Koulouris went very close and was another good opportunity (55th) but Rumilly-Vallières, before his second goal, had two good opportunities to aggravate the mark by Ashley Moke and Glody Liongo (68th, 71st).

The TFC, 2nd in Ligue 2, deplored the absence of twelve players who tested positive, including one on Tuesday.

Coach Patrice Garande was thus forced to call on young people from the training center to form his team with only six substitutes on the scoresheet against nine authorized.

An element to be taken into consideration to explain, or even understand, the leveling of values ​​and the failure of Toulouse, who hoped to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2009 and who can now focus on their ambition to return to Ligue 1.

© 2021 AFP