Brest inflict further cup woe on Toulouse

Posted Thursday, February 11, 2010 by AFP

PARIS (AFP) - High-flying French second divison side Brest reached the last 16 of the French Cup on Wednesday as they beat top-tier outfit Toulouse 2-0.

Brest lie second in Ligue 2 as they seek a return to the top flight for the first time since 1991.

They grabbed two late goals via Romain Poyet, who lobbed a poorly placed Mathieu Valverde, and an 87th-minute penalty by his strike partner Richard Socrier to inflict a second cup defeat in a week on their opponents.

Toulouse, who were without several influential players including the injured French international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, suffered heartbreak last Wednesday in their League Cup semi-final against Marseille when, having led 1-0 until the 85th minute, they ended up losing 2-1 after extra-time.

It was the second successive season that Toulouse had lost to a second division side at home in the French Cup, after they went down to eventual winners Guingamp in the semi-finals of last season's competition.

Brest, whose best previous run in the cup saw them reach the last eight in 1983, will play away in the next round at either Lens or Marseille, who meet later on Wednesday.

Guingamp will not be defending their trophy at the Stade de France as they were beaten 1-0 by Ligue 1 strugglers Boulogne-sur-Mer on Tuesday in a last 16 tie.