What if in the end, there were two left? It seems unlikely and it is still possible on paper. Nothing says that Cannes and Saint-Brieuc, two clubs of National 2, the 4th national division, will not be found in the final on the lawn of the Stade de France, on May 24. If the adventure continues for the French Riviera club, Talker of the EN AFTER of Guingamp resident of Ligue 2 this Tuesday (3-1), it would take a miracle to see the Bretons Terrari the PSG, the impressive leader of Ligue 1, this Wednesday in Rennes (9:10 p.m.).
Since the year 2000, there have been six 4th division clubs, including Cannes, to have reached the last square in the competition. From the most recent to the oldest, first, three years ago, FC Versailles 78. Now in National, the formation of the Yvelines had dearly sold its skin on the lawn of the Allianz Riviera de Nice (L1), assigning (0-2) in the second period. In the 8th finals, the Ile-de-France had succeeded in the feat of winning (1-0) in Toulouse (L1), before undoing the next round, the other formation of N2 then still in the race (1-1, 5-4 at the TAB).
The previous year, in 2021, the GFA Rumilly-Vallières had highlighted. The Haut-Savoyards then hoisted in the semi-finals after pinning Annecy, the Puy, and Toulouse (again!), Before taking the lesson against Monaco (1-5), not without having opened the scoring. Tchouameni, Ben Yedder, Fabregas and Golovin had been their executioners before joining PSG in the final.
The unforgettable epic of Calais
Finalist in 1927 (beaten by OM), the US Quevilly stands out again during the 2009-2010 edition. The Normans reach the semi-finals of the competition by eliminating three professional clubs: Angers (L2, 1-0), the Stade Rennais (L1, 1-0), and Boulogne (L1, 3-1). Beaten by PSG with an Erding goal, they console themselves with a national accession and will go to the final two years later, with a defeat (0-1) against OL.
2007 marks the adventure of Montceau-les-Mines in the competition. The Burgundians pay the luxury of leaving the Girondins from Bordeaux (2-2, 5-4 at the Tab), then the RC Lens, then 2nd in Ligue 1 (1-0), before falling, arms in hand, facing FC Sochaux. With them, they last more than 90 minutes to give in, finally, during extension (0-2). Today, Montceau is evolving in N3.
The most beautiful epic of a level 4 club in this millennium remains that of Calais. After having dismissed Strasbourg and Bordeaux, two Ligue 1 clubs, the Northerners failed nothing against Nantes at the Stade de France. Jérôme DUTITRE even allowed them to dream, before a double of Antoine Sibierski including a penalty in the last seconds (2-1). The images of Mickaël Landreau, sharing the trophy with Réginald Becque, are still in the memories.