FOOTBALL: Victorious 1-0 against Lyon in a euphoric Beaujoire stadium, FC Nantes qualified for their second consecutive Coupe de France final. And the Canaries can legitimately believe in a new trophy
- FC Nantes qualified for the Coupe de France final on Wednesday by beating Olympique Lyonnais 1-0.
- The winning goal was scored by Ludovic Blas (57th) on a fantastic sequence.
- The FCN is however struggling in the league, with maintenance in Ligue 1 far from certain.
At the Beaujoire stadium,
” It is fabulous. These are crazy emotions. Congratulations to the players, and congratulations to this public who pushes us to do exploits. There are no words…” Antoine Kombouaré, the Nantes coach, had trouble hiding his emotion on Wednesday evening. Victorious 1-0 against Olympique Lyonnais, FC Nantes did the unthinkable: qualify for the second consecutive year in the final of the Coupe de France. A final that Nantes had won last year at the Stade de France (1-0 against Nice) and that they will play again on April 29 against Toulouse or Annecy.
“The Coupe de France, our course in the European Cup … It’s wonderful what has happened to us for two seasons, adds Antoine Kombouaré. We try to savour each time, we tell ourselves that it will stop. But no, we’re still here. My players surprise me all the time. I hope they will surprise me again at the Stade de France. Now, we must go to the end for sure. “A feat all the more unexpected as the FCN is struggling in the league (14th) and it can fear a descent into Ligue 2 (only four points ahead of the first relegation). Euphoric and amazed, the Nantes public exploded with joy at the final whistle, invading the lawn to celebrate their heroes for long minutes.
“This team has two faces”
Ludovic Blas, the evening striker, author of a fabulous chest-volley sequence to beat Anthony Lopes, savours: “We did it! It’s beautiful. Since I have been here, I have experienced incredible emotions. It’s hard to realize because it’s huge. President Waldemar Kita , too, does not sulk his pleasure: “We are very satisfied, for the club, for the public. This team has two faces. We manage to transcend ourselves in the cut. It is difficult to explain. Maybe it’s a question of motivation, maybe the coach’s words or mine.
After taking out Lens in the quarter-finals, then OL in the semi-finals, Nantes now almost naturally takes on the role of favourite for the final victory, as their future opponent seems within their reach. A trap ? “I don’t plan, it’s so far, calm Antoine Kombouaré. We find the championship again this weekend against Monaco and I don’t want to resume as against Reims (0-3). We have to look for extremely important points for maintenance. »
Ironically, FC Nantes already achieved this double in the Coupe de France at the end of the 1990s with two successes in quick succession (against Sedan in 1999 and against Calais in 2000) at the Stade de France. The generation then was called Monterrubio, Carrière, Vahirua, Fabbri and others and had continued with the championship title in 2001. Not sure that the current workforce, less talented and promised to a probable dismantling this summer, knows the same spell.
