Quevilly's footballing fairy tale - bis

You might remember a couple of years ago the team of Quevilly made it through to the semi-finals of the French Cup.

It was the stuff of dreams as the then fourth division side took on the giants of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), dreaming of a place in the final.

Les Canaris from the suburbs of the northern French city of Rouen had already beaten three higher-ranked teams before their semi-final appearance, but in spite of a brave performance their efforts were not rewarded and they lost 1-0 to PSG, the team that would go on to win the competition.

So no fairytale ending to a marvellous cup run back in 2010 and the hopes of making only their second cup final appearance (the first and only one was back in 1927) dashed.

But guess what.

Union Sportive Quevillaise have made it through to the final this time around after stunning first division side Stade Rennes 2-1 in the semis.

And they did it the hard way, coming from a goal down and scoring a late winner into stoppage time to book their place in this year's final against Olympique Lyonnais.

"After scoring I was on cloud nine," Anthony Laup, the man who sent Quevilly into the final, told reporters.

Anthony Laup - the man who scored the winner (screenshot BFM TV)

"But I'm sure the best is still to come - that's a promise," he said.

The team, currently lying 14th in the 20-strong National, the country's third division, had already beaten another of France's most titled sides, Olympique de Marseille, in the quarter-finals.

And Rennes knew exactly what to expect from the team that had knocked them out of the competition in the last-sixteen stage two years ago.

At a press conference after the game, their manager Frédéric Antonetti congratulated Quevilly on a deserved win but he couldn't hide his disappointment.

"It was the kind of game that was lost psychologically," he told reporters.

"Fear crept into our game and although we scored first, we just lacked any sort of personality on the field."

That, of course, was far from the feeling in the Quevilly dressing room or the Stade Michel-d'Ornano in the northern French city of Caen, where the game was played.

The players were already dreaming of their appearance at Stade de France in Paris on April

And a firework display lit the night sky to celebrate what one of the regional newspapers described as the incredible exploits of the side.

The final against Lyon will be played at Stade de France in Paris on April 28.

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."