In the second round of the Coupe de la Ligue there were fourteen goals in six matches, and just the one red card this time.
The early game was Evian v Clermont, and this time the TV pick got goals. Both sides are unbeaten in the league so far, but Evian were looking for their first win of the season, having four draws to their name and a bye in the first round of the cup.
The home side barrelled ahead with goals from 19-year-old Fabien Centonze and then Hernan Altolaguirre in the first half, before new signing Aaron Appindangoye added a third just after the restart. Safet Susic withdrew captain Olivier Sorlin on 64 minutes to give returning Aldo Angoula some time, and things got a bit less organised after that. Wesley Jobello drew one back for Clermont to set up a nervy last 15 minutes, and the visitors got a second in the 88th minute after Zakariya Abarouai tripped Brendan Agounon in the area. Idriss Saadi converted the penalty. Clermont pushed hard for an equaliser but were out of time.
In the 20.00 kick-offs, the final National representative was eliminated as CA Bastia lost on penalties to Auxerre. They kicked off the evening’s scoring with a goal from Guidiala Adama inside ten minutes, but Pierre Bouby equalised just after the restart, and after a goalless extra time, the third-tier side fell victim to a great performance by Zacharie Boucher in the AJA goal who saved all three penalties faced, while Bouby, Sefil and Fontaine converted theirs for the visitors.
Penalties were also needed in the night’s goalless draw, between Bourg-en-Bresse and Nancy, as the Ligue 2 new boys scored all five of their spot-kicks and Julien Fabri saved from Nancy’s Anthony Robic. That’s their second shoot-out victory in the competition, having knocked out Brest in the first round.
Laval needed extra time to win 2-1 away at AC Ajaccio, who went ahead through a first-half penalty from Johan Cavalli, but Riffi Mandanda couldn’t repeat his heroics of the last round as Anthony Goncalves equalised early in the second half and Rachid Alioui got the winner in the 117th minute.
In Dijon, league-leaders Metz had on-loan attacker Juan Cruz Kaprof sent off after half an hour (a straight red after what the club website diplomatically describes as ‘a muscular challenge in midfield’, and he left the pitch in tears). Mamadou Thiam scored just before half time and Lois Diony scored the second shortly after coming on as a substitute late in the second half. Tours also won 2-0, at home to Sochaux, with second-half goals from Haris Belkebla and Christian Kouakou.
Results
Evian 3 – 2 Clermont
Dijon 2-0 Metz*
Tours 2-0 Sochaux
CA Bastia 1-1 Auxerre (0-3 t.a.b)
AC Ajaccio 1-2 Laval (ap)
Bourg-en-Bresse 0-0 Nancy (5-4 t.a.b)
The next round will take place on 27/8th October, with the fourteen Ligue 1 clubs not (potentially) busy midweek with European competition entering the fray. The draw for that is on 4 September.
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