Nice finally ends 9-game losing streak with a win in the French Cup

By Canadian Press on December 21, 2025.

PARIS (AP) — Nice finally ended a nine-game losing streak when it beat Saint-Étienne 2-1 at home to reach the last 32 of the French Cup on Sunday.

Striker Zoumana Diallo netted his first goal for Nice and midfielder Morgan Sanson scored the other goal to give Nice much-needed respite in what has been a tough season.

Some fans even confronted the players after one defeat. Nice is 13th in Ligue 1 and last in the Europa League group stage after six straight defeats.

Elsewhere, Marseille showed its attacking prowess again in a 6-0 win at third-tier Bourg-en-Bresse, with club top scorer Mason Greenwood among six players to score. Coach Roberto De Zerbi’s side has netted 56 league goals in 2025 — its third-highest home tally ever in a year.

In Sunday’s other matches, top-tier sides Monaco, Nantes and Strasbourg all advanced.

Record 16-time champion Paris Saint-Germain started its French Cup defense with a 4-0 win at fifth-tier Vendée Fontenay on Saturday.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press