Champion Nantes avoided a resounding KO on penalties

Reigning French Cup champions Nantes (2-4) needed penalties to reach the round of 16 after failing to hold fifth-tier Thaon (0-0) inside ninety minutes.

The team led by Antoine Kombouaré saved the tie as did two other Ligue 1 teams, Auxerre and Lille, while Lens beat Brest (1-3) in the battle between the top-flight teams.

Auxerre beat second division Niort (0-4) at home thanks to a brace from Gaetan Perrin and goals scored by Nuno Da Costa and Matthis Abline. Lille, for their part, beat Pau 2-0, also from Ligue 2, with an own goal by Ivory Coast’s Xavier Kousassi and a goal by Englishman Angel Gomes.

Brest was removed from the lens

For their part, Lens, second in Ligue 1, forged the classification after six minutes with Wesley Said’s goal but Brest, in the relegation zone, equalized in the 19th minute thanks to Algerian Islam Slimani.

That’s when the Argentine Facundo Medina entered the scene, who after half an hour restored the advantage to Lens with his goal and with a pass facilitated Adrien Thomasson’s signature that sentenced the tie.

Nantes, Auxerre, Lille and Lens join Olympique Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lorient, Reims and Angers, from the highest category of French football, who have sealed their pass in recent days.

1/16 final result

. friday

OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE (1) 1 – Stade Rennes 0 (1)

. Saturday

Chambery (6) 0 – LYON (1) 3

TOULOUSE (1) 2 – Ajaccio (1) 0

Bastia (2) 1 – LORIENT (1) (+) 1

Les Herbiers (5) 0 – REIMS (1) 3

Chamalieres (5) 0 – PARIS FC (2) 4

Grasse (5) 0 – RODEZ (2) (+) 0

Plabennec (6) 0 – GRENOBLE (2) 1

Strasbourg Koenigshofen (7) 0 – ANGERS (1) 1

. Sunday

LILLE (1) 2 – Pau (2) 0

Niort (2) 0 – AUXERRE (1) 4

Le Puy en Velay (3) 0 – VERZON (4) (+) 0

Belfort (4) 1 – ANNECY (2) (+) 1

Thaon (5) 0 – NANTES (1) (+) 0

Brest (1) 1 – LENS (1) (+) 3

. monday

Pays de Cassel (7) – Paris Saint Germain (1)

– In brackets, club category

(+): Through sanctions

. Qualified for the round of 16 (February 7-8): Olympique Marseille, Lyon, Lorient, Paris FC, Reims, Grenoble, Toulouse, Rodez, Angers, Lille, Auxerre, Verzon, Annecy and Nantes.