Golden Lion tamed by Lille as Martinique minnows are thumped 12-0 in cup clash

A team from Martinique face a painful 4,000-mile journey home after crashing 12-0 at Ligue 1 side Lille in the Coupe de France on Saturday.

Golden Lion qualified for the tournament as reigning champions of the Caribbean nation, and were handed a daunting away trip to the six-time winners.

They were 7-0 down at half-time and mustered a single shot in comparison to 37 for the hosts, for whom Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova helped themselves to hat-tricks.

𝐔𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝟏𝟐-𝟎 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 pic.twitter.com/T0K9oi9JIB
— LOSC (@losclive) January 6, 2024

The Coupe de France has been open to representatives of French departments and territories since the mid-1960s, and one-sided results are nothing new.

Golden Lion can seek solace in the fact that they performed better – and faced a shorter round trip – than French Guiana side CSC Cayenne, who were thumped 14-0 at Paris FC in 2021.