PARIS — Top-flight teams Montpellier and Angers avoided upsets but labored into the French Cup quarterfinals with narrow wins against fourth-tier opposition on Wednesday.
Montpellier is eighth in the first division and still in contention for a Europa League spot next season, while Angers is in midtable.
Montpellier defeated Chateaubriant 1-0 and Angers won by the same score at Sedan, which won the competition in 1956 and ’61 and finished runner-up three times before dropping out of professional soccer a few years ago.
Angers-born right back Vincent Manceau, who has played 13 years for his hometown club, scored midway through the first half. Midfielder Florent Mollet grabbed Montpellier’s goal in the 62nd minute.
Second-tier Toulouse, firmly on course for promotion to the first division, earned a 2-1 victory at fifth-tier side Saumur.
Fourth-tier Canet-en-Roussillon, which caused a big upset by knocking out Marseille in the previous round, reached the last eight by beating third-tier Boulogne-sur-Mer 1-0 at home. Rumilly Vallieres also advanced with a 4-0 home win against Le Puy 4-0 in a match between two fourth-tier sides.
In the remaining Cup game, Lyon is in Paris on Thursday to play third-tier Red Star.
Monaco beat Metz on penalty kicks on Tuesday to join defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight.
The quarterfinals are being held in two weeks.
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