The Coupe de France is always full of surprises, and yesterday, three professional teams exited the tournament after facing amateur clubs: Pau lost to SA Mérignac, Rodez fell to Canet, and the Red Star was eliminated by Biesheim. In the north, a thrilling 64th round match featured two regional teams, Steenvoorde and Béthune, which ended in a goalless draw after regulation time. However, the game took an unexpected turn during the penalty shootout, where an astonishing 44 attempts were required to determine the winner, resulting in 37 successful penalties.
Béthune emerged victorious with a final score of 0-0, 21-20 on penalties, marking the longest penalty shootout in Coupe de France history. The previous record was set in 2022 between Dinan Léhon and Stade Brestois, which lasted 24 minutes. Gauthier Thumerel, the hero of the match for Béthune, commented to la Voix du Nord: “It’s unbelievable. The coach didn’t want me to take a shot. He placed me as the 11th shooter, and I secured the win for Béthune. My first shot was to avoid losing, and the second was to win. Honestly, before the second shot, I remembered my miss from last year and thought about how beautiful the story could be. If I score, I’ll bring joy to people’s faces. I had to score, and… I did.” This match will be long remembered by the players and the 250 Béthune supporters.
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