Dunkerque spirit! 2nd-tier team beats Brest to join PSG in French Cup semis

By Canadian Press on February 26, 2025.

PARIS (AP) — Dunkerque showed its fighting spirit once again, rallying from 2-0 down to beat top-flight Brest 3-2 and reach the French Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

The second-tier side had already knocked out Ligue 1 high-flyer Lille in the previous round on penalty kicks after equalizing six minutes into stoppage time in that game.

Dunkerque looked to be heading out against Brest, which played in the Champions League this season. But then it exploited Brest’s weakness on free kicks and corners as central defender Vincent Sasso pulled a goal back midway through the second half and defender Opa Sanganté netted twice in the last 10 minutes.

Title holder Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 7-0 win at fourth-tier Saint-Brieuc in Wednesday’s other quarterfinal, with striker Gonçalo Ramos grabbing a hat trick and top scorer Ousmane Dembélé completing the rout late on.

Dunkerque and PSG join Reims and fourth-tier Cannes in the semifinal draw. Cannes knocked out second-tier Guingamp on Tuesday in yet another upset.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press

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