Coupe de France: Reims Overcome Cannes Scare, Join PSG in Final

Reims opened the scoring early in the first half with a 14th-minute goal from Hafiz Umar Ibrahim. Mamadou Diakhon broke free down the left, drawing the defense toward him. Cannes defender Jonas Smith sprinted in an attempt to close him down, but Diakhon managed to get a pass to Ibrahim, who finished with ease.

Despite having an early lead, Samba Diawara and his team couldn't add to it to put the fourth-division side away. Cannes hung around as the two sides went into halftime, with Reims holding a one-goal lead.

Les Dragons came out of the break and put a scare into the Ligue 1 McDonald's club, leveling the contest one-all in the 52nd minute.

Cannes played their corner kick set piece to the far post, where Cheikh N'Doye directed a header toward goal. Despite Joseph Okumu's attempt to clear it off the line, the ball found its way in.

The home side had the momentum, but they couldn't find the second goal that would have given them their ticket to the final. Reims would break the hearts of Cannes supporters, scoring the eventual game-winning goal in the 58th minute.

Cannes' defensive mistake proved costly, allowing Reims to take the lead. After receiving a throw-in, Ibrahim used his strength in the box and sent a cross in front of the goal. Teddy Teuma left completely unmarked, reacted first, and beat Fabio Vanni to score.

After the match, Ndoye spoke to beIN Sports to share his thoughts on Cannes' run and gave credit to Reims for their performance.

"It's wonderful to see our fans like this. Unfortunately, we lost this match. But well, that's football. That's how it is. This is the highest level. Today, we faced a good Ligue 1 team that has a strong grasp of its system."

"It ends here for us, which is a shame because we wanted to reach the final. Congratulations to my teammates and the fans, it was an incredible journey. (…) We still made history for the club."

The Stat: 48

After defeating Cannes on Wednesday, Reims snapped a 48-year drought, reaching the Coupe de France final for the first time since 1977.

READ MORE:

>>Hakimi, Gouiri headline Foé nominees

>>Coupe de France: PSG survive Dunkerque scare to reach final