Benzema maintains Lyon's double bid

A solitary Karim Benzema strike was sufficient to send Olympique Lyonnais through to the semi-finals of the Coupe de France for the first time in a decade at the expense of FC Metz, while Amiens SC triumphed in the all-Ligue 2 tie.

Double prospect
Having previously been denied by visiting goalkeeper Christophe Marichez, Lyon finally broke the resistance of the recently-relegated Ligue 1 outfit after 39 minutes at Stade de Gerland when Benzema latched on to a Kader Keita pass and scored from close range. Les Gones were less dominant in the second period – although defender Cris did hit the crossbar – and were given a scare by a Metz side 50 points behind their opponents in the league standings. Lyon held on though, and remain on course for a maiden domestic double and a first cup triumph since 1973.

Penalty miss
Earlier, Amiens recovered from the setback of a first-half penalty miss to score in the final three minutes and end the challenge of visitors Dijon FCO. Barel Mouko, who had thwarted Amiens by saving the spot-kick, threw out only to find home midfielder Thibaud Giresse who set up Roy Contout for the only goal of the game at the Licorne Stadium.

Other ties
Amiens, who reached the final in 2001, will discover their last-four opponents when the draw takes place on 17 April. Before then, FC Girondins de Bordeaux host two-times winners CS Sedan-Ardennes on Wednesday, while relegation-threatened Paris Saint-Germain FC are at amateur fifth-tier side USJA Carquefou in Nantes.