It is one of the biggest upsets in the recent history of the French Cup. That a third-tier, semi-professional side tops one of those Ligue 1 slots, moreover a contender for the Champions League spots is highly awkward and rare.Yet, it happened indeed on Saturday night, as the unknown Le Puy defeated last season’s runners-up OCG Nice (1-0) in the Round of 64. The game’s only goal came after only three minutes, thanks to Mohamed Ben Fredj, and, despite the expected comeback, the favourites could not find the back of the net for the rest of the game.Kasper Schmeichel, Ross Barkley, Dante Bonfirm, Nicolas Pépé, Jean-Clair Todibo and Mario Lemina all played for Nice as they lost in the French Cup to Le Puy, a team 3rd-bottom of the 3rd division, promoted from the 4th tier last season. pic.twitter.com/YPFxvLEyt0— Jimmy Driver (@jnd_90) January 8, 2023 Even the fact they fielded their strongest-possible squad, including the likes of Schmeichel, Dante, Barkley, Lemina, and Nicolas Pepe, didn’t prevent the visitors from losing.Ivorian madness: Eric’s awful challenge sends opponent to intensive careHowever, Nice’s board made sure they at least got the applause for the class act. There’s an unwritten Coupe de France tradition that bigger clubs leave smaller opponents their share of match-day income. And that’s exactly what Nice did after being eliminated. À l’issue de la rencontre, l’@ogcnice a décidé de laisser sa part de la recette au club. 🤝⚽Nous les remercions grandement pour ce geste et leur souhaitons le meilleur pour leur fin de saison en Ligue 1 et en Coupe d’Europe.#LPF43OGCN pic.twitter.com/VU5y3Y6hxP— Le Puy Foot 43 (@lepuyfoot) January 7, 2023 “At the end of the meeting, OCG Nice decided to leave its share of the income to our club. We thank them very much for this gesture and wish them the best for their end of the season in Ligue 1 and in the UEFA Europa League,” tweeted Le Puy on their official account.##NAJAVA_MECA_6929535##
