PARIS: A second-half stunner by Ludovic Blas helped holders Nantes beat Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 at home to reach Coupe de France final on Wednesday.

Blas’s masterpiece gave Antoine Kombouare’s side a well-deserved victory against a Lyon team who looked out of sorts three days after beating Paris St Germain in Ligue 1.

Nantes, whose Cup triumph last season was their first major trophy since winning the league in 2001, have a golden chance of a successful defence.

Nantes will meet either Ligue 2 side Annecy or Toulouse, who face each late other on Thursday, in the Stade de France showdown on April 29.

They will be looking to claim their fifth title in the competition.

While Lyon enjoyed the majority of possession at the Stade de la Beaujoire, it was Nantes who threatened the most, managing three shots on target out of four attempts in an otherwise quiet opening half.

Blas put the hosts ahead 12 minutes into the second half with a volley on the turn to reward Nantes for their dominance.

The Canaries continued to press Lyon, who had their only shot on target four minutes from time when Bradley Barcola’s atte­mpt was parried away by Alban Lafont.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2023