Can you believe it? A fourth-division team knocked the former champion out of the cup!

Now and then, there’s an upset in Spain and Germany, sometimes even in Italy and England. Hats off to anyone who pulls it off. However, such surprises are rare—whereas in the French Cup, they are a regular occurrence!

That crazy French Cup has a magical power. This time, Bretagne isn’t celebrating Rennes or Brest, which has been making waves in the Champions League this season, but the little Stade Briochin. Because the fourth-division side didn’t just cause one upset—they pulled off two! First, they eliminated Le Havre, and now they’ve reached the quarterfinals by knocking out Nice—2:1.

Briochin’s fans got the moment they had been dreaming of. A club from the elite division arrived at Stade Fred Aubert. A club fighting for a Champions League spot. The stands were packed, nearly 11,000 people gathered to witness a miracle.

They’ve won eight matches in the French Cup, overcoming obstacle after obstacle. They took down the favored Le Havre and found themselves in a match where all they had to do was enjoy the moment. They were minutes away from elimination—until magic happened. A true little miracle.

Nice was leading, thanks to Tom Louchet. They were holding onto the advantage, but then Hugo Boudin happened. Twice, he popped up where no one expected him. The first time, just before stoppage time, he found the net and sent the stadium into a frenzy…

That was the beginning of madness. Nice took a corner, sending everyone forward, and then—a lightning-fast counterattack. Briochin defended, a few players sprinted across the entire pitch, and inside the box, Hugo Boudin was in the right place at the right time. For the second time, the center-back poked the ball into the net, and the fairytale of the little club was still alive.

Maybe there’s another chapter to be written. A new opportunity awaits. And in the French Cup, stories like this are anything but rare.

COUPE DE FRANCE - FRENCH CUP

Round of 16

Tuesday

Lille - Dunkerque 1-1 (0-0) (4-5 pen.)

/Gomes 85 - Tejan 90+6/

Troyes - Brest 1-2 (0-0)

/Hagnetti 55 - Salah 49, Sima 90+2/

Le Mans - PSG 0-2 (0-1)

/Doure 25, Barcola 71/

Wednesday

Briochin - Nice 2-1 (0-0)

/Boudin 88, 90+7 - Louchet 55/

Cannes - Sport Union Dives-Cabourg 5-3 (3-1)

/Domingues 9, 12, Abbas 45+2, Mambu 69, Goncalves 87 - Thoris 25, Fontaine 53, Bekombo 90+4/

Strasbourg - Angers 1-3 (1-2)

/Lemarechal 13 - Lepaul 2, 15, El Melali 76/

Toulouse - Guingamp 0-2 (0-0)

/Sidibe 52, Ahile 89/