International players from Japan, Junya Ito, Keito Nakamura, and Hiroki Sekine, assisted Reims in reaching the French Cup final as they managed to overcome fourth-tier team Cannes with a score of 2-1 in their semifinal match on Wednesday.
Reims' victory during their away match secured them a place in the finals against Paris Saint-Germain. The cup defenders had qualified for this encounter at Stade de France on May 24 by defeating second-division team Dunkerque the previous day.
In the 14th minute, Hafiz Ibrahim scored for Reims with a well-placed cutback. However, Cannes equalized in the 52nd minute via a headed goal from Cheikh N'Doye following a corner kick. The winning move came six minutes after halftime when defender Sekine’s throw-in set up Teddy Teuma to score with ease.
Sekine and attacker Nakamura were on the field throughout the match, whereas Ito was substituted out in the 77th minute for Reims.