Fairy-tale French Cup run over for Chambéry

It was too good to last.

French side Stade Olympique de Chambéry had knocked out top-flight opposition in each of the previous three rounds of the French Cup.

But on Wednesday they waved goodbye to dreams of making it through to the semi-finals after they were resoundingly beaten by second-division side Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest 0-3.

Kick off Chambéry v Angers (screenshot from Eurosport video)

Chambéry from the equivalent of the country's fifth division had already seen off first division Monaco, Brest and Sochaux in previous rounds and came to Wednesday's game in the hope of creating more club history.

Although it was a home tie Chambéry had decided to switch venues and the match was played in the nearby city of Grenoble at le Stade des Alpes.

With 15,000 in the stadium and more watching on television (the game was broadcast live on France 2) Chambéry held their own until the dying minutes of the first half when Henri Saivet put it Angers ahead.

Sebastien Renouard consolidated their lead in the 63rd minute, and Diego Sebastian Gomez put the result beyond any doubt in the 84th as Angers booked their place in the final four.

"Serious, practical and realistic," is how the sports daily l'Equipe described Angers' performance

And that was also how Chambéry coach David Guion described the opposition.

"I'm really very proud of my players," he said in an interview with Eurosport immediately following the team's defeat.

"Of course we're a little disappointed because when you take to the pitch it's to win," he continued.

"But I have to hand it to the opposition. They were very effective and I wish them all the best in the rest of the competition."

Guion : "Fier et déçu"

For Angers then it's a semi-final berth where they'll face a club from the first division in the shape of holders Paris Saint-Germain, league leaders Lille or Nice.

The draw will be made on Sunday.

And Chambéry?

Well their next match involves a trip to Burgundy to take on Imphy Decize in the hope, as striker Aissa Yahia-Bey told RMC radio, that the experience gained in the Cup run will also serve the side during the remainder of the season.

"It's etched forever in my mind," he said, speaking of the Cup run.

"Now we have to bounce back quickly from this defeat and win some matches in the league so that we can push for promotion. That has to be the club's goal."

Chambéry's giant-killing French Cup run

The domestic football league in France might not be on the same par as its wealthier counterpart across the Channel in England: there's not nearly as much money in the game and few teams have anything approaching the international status of say a Manchester United or a Liverpool.

But right now a club from the Championnat de France amateur 2, or what amounts to the country's fifth division, is having a dream run in the French Cup.

On Wednesday Stade Olympique de Chambéry, an amateur side from the south-eastern département of Savoie made it through to the quarterfinals after beating first division Sochaux 2-1.

Not impressed? Well you should be.

Aissa Yahia Bey the scorer of Chambéry's 71st-minute match-winning goal (screenshot Eurosport video)

Because not only did Chambéry do it the hard way by coming back from a first-half goal by a team currently standing 10th in Ligue 1, they also made it "three-in-a-row".

After eliminating both last year's beaten finalists Monaco and seeing off Brest in previous rounds, Sochaux became Chambéry's third successive top-flight scalp.

And that's a first in French football from an amateur team.

It's a feat that as far as coach David Guion was concerned almost amounted to being "a miracle".

"To beat three top division teams in the space of a month would have been unthinkable," a visibly moved Guion said after the match.

"Of course we're all incredibly delighted especially to continue in the competition and at the same time create history."

Chambéry coach David Guion (screenshot from French Football Federation website video)

While Guion, who has only been coaching the team since July last year, insisted that hard work and hours of training had been the secret behind the club's Cup run so far, Chambéry midfielder said there had been an additional incentive which probably made all the difference on the field.

"They're professionals and of course physically and technically they're much better than us," he admitted.

"What made the difference for us was simple motivation."

Chambéry will have to wait until Sunday's draw to discover who they'll face in the quarterfinals.

The other teams that have qualified are Lorient, Nice, Lille and Paris Saint-Germain from Ligue 1 and Angers, Reims and Le Mans from Ligue 2.

But Guion is not thinking so far ahead.

There's a match league match to be played this coming Saturday and Guron wants his players to relish their exploits so far in the Cup.

"I've not yet thought about the quarterfinals," he said.

"You can imagine that I want everyone to savour what has happened so far and I just hope we can find the energy to perform well when we play again on Saturday."

In reaching the quarterfinals, Chambéry became only the fifth amateur club to make it so far in the competition.

The last time was in 2008 when Union Sportive de la Jeanne d’Arc de Carquefou knocked out Olympique de Marseille in the last 16 before being stopped by the eventual beaten finalists Paris Saint-Germain.

Chambéry-Sochaux: Résumé