A Round-Up Of Cup Action Across Europe

27 Jan, 2009 Jonathan F Europe, France, Italy, Latest

There was cup action not just in England but across Europe last week, with teams in England, France, Italy and Spain all pressing on in their attempts to end the season with the promise of glory and silverware. Let’s take a look at how this year’s competitions are unfolding:

In France, the draw for the last sixteen of the Coupe de France (French Cup) was made and is as follows:

Rennes (Ligue Une) v Lorient (L1)
Boulogne-Sur-Mer (L2) v Toulouse (L1)
Guingamp (L2) v Le Mans (L1)
Dijon (L2) v Grenoble (L1)
AC Ajaccio (L2) v Monaco (L1)
Rodez (NAT) v Paris St. Germain (L1)
Lille (L1) v Olympique Lyonnais / Olympique Marseille (L1)
Sedan (L2) v AS Vitre (CFA)

Tiny AS Vitré were the success story of the last 32 in France. AS Vitré are from the provincial town of Vitré, situated in Bretagne. With a population of just 17,000, they are the club furthest down the French football food chain to be involved in the last sixteen. Victory over Creteil 9-8 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 secured the red and yellows their passage to the latter stages of the Coupe de France. They now face relegation threatened Sedan of Ligue 2, having avoided the big guns of Ligue 1 in the draw.

Rodez’s reward for beating Troyes 2-1 away in the last 32 is an exciting home tie against PSG, while the glamour tie of the round will see Lille play host to either holders Lyon or high-flyers Marseille, depending on who emerges victorious from their game at the Stade Gerland on Wednesday 28th January.

In England, the draw for the last sixteen of the FA Cup is like so:

Sheffield United v Hull City
Watford v Chelsea
West Ham United v Middlesbrough
Sunderland / Blackburn Rovers v Coventry City
Derby County / Nottingham Forest v Manchester United
Swansea City v Fulham
Liverpool / Everton v Doncaster Rovers / Aston Villa
Cardiff City / Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion / Burnley

The current top six in England (Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Everton) are all still involved in the FA Cup, though of course one of either Liverpool or Everton will be knocked out in next week’s replay at Goodison Park.

Winners of what will no doubt be a tense, heated Midlands derby replay between Derby and Nottingham Forest face a glamour tie against league champions Manchester United, while Swansea City, conquerors of 2008 winners Portsmouth in the previous round, have the opportunity to eliminate another member of the Premier League with a home clash against Fulham.

The quarter finals of the Copa del Rey also got underway in Spain, with holders Valencia looking to defend their crown and proceed to the last four. Results from the first leg clashes were as follows:

Valencia 3-2 Sevilla
Atletic Bilbao 0-0 Sporting Gijon
RCD Espanyol 0-0 FC Barcelona
Mallorca 1-0 Real Betis

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola rested several regular first team players for their game against local rivals Espanyol but still did enough to get a draw at the Monjuic Stadium, giving los cules an excellent chance to make it through in the second leg at Camp Nou and continue their relentless challenge for honours on all fronts.

Juan Mata scored a late winner for Valencia in a swashbuckling, rollercoaster of a game against Sevilla. Valencia were 1-0 up before the visitors turned the match on its head with two second half goals, but los Che refused to go down without a fight and managed to peg Sevilla back to 2-2 before Mata’s dramatic late strike. The second leg promises to be just as exciting.

Elsewhere Mallorca take a narrow lead back to Betis after winning the first leg 1-0, while it is all to play for in the replay between Sporting Gijon and the Basques of Bilbao after a goalless stalemate in the first leg.

Finally, in Italy the Coppa Italia advanced
to the semi-finals stage this past week, with the draw for the last four looking like so:

Inter Milan v Sampdoria
Lazio v Napoli / Juventus

Inter’s reward for knocking out two-time defending champions AS Roma 2-1 in the quarters is a semi-final clash with Sampdoria. Walter Mazzarri’s men eliminated Udinese on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and will look to continue their push for a first Coppa Italia triumph since 1994 when they take on current Italian champions Inter. Meanwhile, winners of the as yet unplayed quarter final between Napoli and Juventus will face Lazio, who after coming from a goal behind beat Torino 3-1 in the quarters, courtesy of goals from Goran Pandev, Stefano Mauri and Tommaso Rocchi.

Any tips for cup glory in Europe this season? Share your thoughts below.

Copa Del Rey, Coppa Italia, England, FA Cup, France, French Cup, Italy, Spain

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6 Mar, 2009 Jonathan F Comments Off

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About Jonathan F

The boss of this here... Creator and Editor of Just-Football.com, world football analyst, watcher, freelancer and all-round enthusiast. French football analyst for Football Radar. Write for FourFourTwo, have also written for ITV, When Saturday Comes and others.

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