League high-flyers LOSC and Montpellier both suffered surprise defeats in their opening Coupe de la Ligue BTK fixtures, Strasbourg dominating Les Dogues 2-0 while Nantes hit three with no reply against La Paillade.
Coupe de la Ligue BKT, Round of 32
RC Strasbourg Alsace 1 – 0 LOSC 
LOSC have been league leaders Paris Saint-Germain’s closest rivals so far in Ligue 1 Conforama, but Friday night’s clash with capital club took on a different hue as Christophe Galtier’s side came unstuck in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
With the big clash in mind, Galtier opted to rotate his squad and their lack of cohesion showed as Youssouf Fofana nodded home to break the deadlock (13′) and set up a dominant half of football.
Galtier brought on man of the moment Nicolas Pépé just after the hour mark and LOSC’s star began to rise, but Les Dogues struggled to convert their chances and, when talismanic Strasbourg midfielder Dimitri Liénard bagged his side’s second nine minutes from time, it was clear that LOSC’s ship had well and truly sailed, taking Strasbourg through to the round of 16.
Montpellier Hérault SC 0 – 3 FC Nantes 
Meanwhile in the evening’s earlier match, FC Nantes confirmed their solid recent form by handing Montpellier just a second defeat of the season in all competitions – their first since the opening day of the season – with a stunning 3-0 win at the Stade de la Mosson.
The win, which comes on the back of successive league victories, came as Nantes upped the ante after a fairly quiet first half. Kalifa Coulibaly struck first, nodding home Charles Traoré’s cross from the left (58′), and then after Pedro Mendes – who will now miss the crunch league clash at home to Marseille this weekend -saw red (74′), Les Canaris made the break as substitute Majeed Waris scored his first goal since arriving at the club in the summer (80′).
Fellow sub Emiliano Sala then put the cherry on top of a strong team performance – which also featured an impeccable turn between the sticks from second-choice ‘keeper Maxime Dupé, snaring his fifth in three matches in all competitions as Vahid Halilhodzic’s side progressed to the round of 16.
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