Marseille dominate As Saint‑Étienne upset Nantes in Coupe LFFP

The third round of the Coupe LFFP delivered drama as L’Olympique de Marseille thrashed Thonon Évian, while Saint‑Étienne overturned Nantes in extra time and Auxerre edged Lens on penalties, confirming the competition’s reputation for surprises and goals across both the men’s and women’s brackets.

Marseille’s six‑goal showcase

Les Marseillaises, the women’s side of L’Olympique de Marseille, overwhelmed Thonon Évian Grand Genèvre 6‑1 at the Francis‑Turcan stadium in Martigues. Mathilde Bourdieu opened the scoring after seven minutes, Louise Fleury added a second at nine, Lexi Missimo made it three at 28, Maureen Cosson restored parity at 74, and Habibou Ouedraogo completed a double with goals at 54 and 81. Coach Nicolas Chabot praised the performance as a statement of intent, noting the team remain unbeaten and sit alone atop the Coupe LFFP table with three wins from three matches.

Saint‑Étienne’s extra‑time upset

In the men’s draw, Saint‑Étienne from the Forez region produced the day’s biggest upset by defeating Nantes after extra time. Inna Hluschenko struck first in the 90+3 minute, and Sarah Cambot sealed the win with a second goal in the 90+6 minute, giving the Vertes a 2‑0 victory and three points. The match had been evenly balanced until the final minutes, making the result a surprise in the Coupe LFFP.

Auxerre’s women’s side faced Lens in a goalless stalemate that proceeded to a penalty shoot‑out. The Icaunaises converted four spot‑kicks while Lens managed two, securing a 4‑2 shoot‑out win and earning two crucial points under the competition’s rule that awards two points to the shoot‑out victor and one point to the loser.

In the Première Ligue fixtures, Le Havre travelled to Metz and secured a 2‑1 away victory, while Strasbourg produced a spectacular four‑to‑three win over Lille. Both results reinforced the dominance of higher‑tier clubs over their lower‑division opponents on this Coupe LFFP day.

The scheduled match between Fleury and Nice, due to be played on Saturday afternoon, was postponed after a technical problem grounded Nice’s aircraft, preventing the team from travelling. Organisers will reschedule the fixture at a later date.

With three wins from three games, Marseille sit alone at the top of the Coupe LFFP leaderboard, maintaining an unbeaten record. Only two matchdays remain, leaving every side eager to close the gap before the competition concludes.