A well-worked goal midway through the second half from Manuel Debat proved enough for the fourth division team to hold off the side lying second in the first division, who fielded a full-strength lineup including English

Premiership target Djibril Cisse and Jean-Alain Boumsong, who is joining Rangers at the end of the season.

“This is huge!” said Brive coach Frederic Hantz.

“Forty two years after the club was formed Brive got through to the last 16 – now 84 years later we’re into our first quarter-finals.”

For Auxerre’s veteran coach Guy Roux the defeat was hard to take after his side were dumped out of the French League Cup last week by Nantes in a penalty shootout.

“We’ve been knocked out of two cups in a week because of refereeing mistakes” Roux said, alluding to an Auxerre ‘goal’ that was disallowed.

“I’m sad and a little bitter but congratulations to Brive, they played magnificently and were fresher than us.”

At a stadium more used to staging rugby matches, Auxerre dominated the first half and Cisse had the ball in the net two minutes before the break but his effort was ruled out for offside.

Brive’s breakthrough came when they won a free kick in the 53rd minute, from which Francois Certain passed to Debat whose shot flew past the defensive wall and Auxerre keeper Fabien Cool.

Auxerre failed to threaten the Brive goal in the remaining half hour and the final whistle was greeted with joy by 13,000 home fans.

© AFP

                                                              Subject: France news