Strasbourg on the royal road to the Coupe de France semis? | OneFootball

Strasbourg beat Monaco 3-1 to reach the Coupe de France quarter-finals, earning a home tie with Reims next month. According to L'Équipe, it is their second last-eight appearance in three editions.

After an uneasy start, Strasbourg scored with their first chance when Diego Moreira’s right-wing cross was headed back by Joaquin Panichelli for Martial Godo to finish. Julio Enciso, quiet before the interval, struck twice on 55 and 61 minutes to settle it.

Gary O'Neil has built on Liam Rosenior’s foundations, encouraging a technical, forward-minded approach while living with the odd risky turnover. He hailed a fearless group and pointed to four wins in five.

Sébastien Pocognoli admired Strasbourg’s energy and nous. Godo is still rounding out his game, yet has nine goals in all competitions and suits O'Neil’s inverted left-wing role.

The spectacle remains. Strasbourg posted 3.19 xG at Lille, 2.31 against PSG and 3.27 here, while a back four restricted Monaco to 0.86 from 17 shots. Valentin Barco impressed in midfield and Enciso credited both his manager’s faith and Barco’s pass for his first.

Reims, the smallest side left, await in the last eight and Strasbourg insist the tie could still be tricky whatever the division. The club have not reached the semi-finals since 2001, the year of their last triumph, and Guéla Doué and O'Neil spoke of big aims across three competitions while stressing nothing is won yet.

Source: L'Équipe