Valenciennes claim Nice scalp in Coupe de France

Nice are out of the Coupe de France after suffering a 2-0 defeat to second-tier Valenciennes.

First-half goals from Adama Coulibaly and Rydell Poepon saw the hosts at Stade du Hainaut claim the third-round scalp of a side who avoided Ligue 1 relegation at their expense last season.

Valenciennes, who are 10th in Ligue 2 having won only seven of their 18 games this season, took only 11 minutes to open the scoring as Coulibaly finished smartly past Nice goalkeeper Mouez Hassen.

The 19-year-old stopper was part of a much-changed Nice outfit who threatened to reply through Valentin Eysseric and Mathieu Bodmer, but it was Valenciennes who added to the scores before the break.

Six-goal top scorer Rydell Poepon scored a timely second for the hosts on the stroke of the interval, which gave the underdogs a cushion heading into what they thought would be a second-half barrage.

However, Nice, who are believed to be close to agreeing a deal to sign Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa, did not have the guile to break down their opponents and went down with a whimper.