Guingamp win French Cup to delight tractor fans

Paris: Guingamp lifted the French Cup for the second time on Saturday when they beat French football`s great under-achievers Rennes 2-0 in an all-Brittany final at the Stade de France.

Nicknamed `The Farmers`, Guingamp dominated from the outset to the delight of their fans, hundreds of whom had travelled the 480km to Paris in a convoy of tractors. "We had the perfect match," said Guingamp coach Jocelyn Gourvennec, whose side also qualified for the Europa League as a result. "To win a second (Cup) in five years isn`t easy," added the former Rennes playmaker whose side also won in 2009 against the same opponents. "We controlled very well and were very disciplined." Jonathan Martins Pereira got the opener after 37 minutes when he latched onto a Christophe Mandanne header to catapult into the net. And Mali international striker Mustapha Yatabare claimed the second just after the break when he slipped through the Rennes defence to shock goalkeeper Benoit Costil with a close range header for his eighth goal in the competition. Costil held firm however after 53 minutes with a nice save which deprived Yatabare of a second goal of the night. It was the third victory this season for Guingamp over their fellow Bretons whom they beat twice in the league, and another woeful end for Rennes who also lost the 2009 French Cup final against the same side, who were then in the second tier. Rennes were also beaten by Saint-Etienne in last season`s League Cup final, leaving them still without a major title since beating Lyon to lift the Cup back in 1971. It is a dire record for Rennes which hails from the capital of Brittany with a population of 207,000 and owned by billionaire Francois Pinault. Guingamp -- the club where Didier Drogba shot to prominence -- have a population of little more than 7,000. It was their third Cup final after losing the 1997 title match to Nice. Gourvennec, who achieved as a coach what he failed to win during his playing career, is now turning his focus to the fight against relegation. Both Guingamp and Rennes remain in danger of the drop to Ligue 2 with just three games left in the league campaign. "Ligue 1 is very difficult. You have to put it on the line every day. It`s difficult for a promoted team," he said.