Nantes, surprising winner last year, offered themselves a new Coupe de France final by again thwarting the forecasts to beat Lyon 1-0 thanks to a jewel from Ludovic Blas, Wednesday in the semi-final at Beaujoire.
The Canaries, who had already achieved the double in 1999 and 2000, by winning in the final against Sedan then Calais, will face the winner of the other semi-final on April 29, disputed Thursday between Annecy (L2) and Toulouse.
Like last year, the supporters invaded the field in a festive and good-natured atmosphere to the chant of “We are in the final” as soon as the match ended.
Big disappointment for Lyon on the other hand: stalled in Ligue 1 (9th at 8 points from 5th place), the Gones fail to save their year and are now preparing for a second consecutive season without European competition, very far from the stated objectives.
Paradoxically, the Canaries are not even certain of staying in L1 next year, since they are still 14th with only four lengths ahead of the first relegation.
The evening was also prolific for Nantes sport, since HBC Nantes also qualified for the final of the French Handball Cup on Wednesday by outclassing Aix-en-Provence (37-24).
In front of a hot Beaujoire stadium already boiling an hour before kick-off, the Nantes people had a great start, with a strike from Jean-Charles Castelletto forcing Anthony Lopes into a reflex parade from the first minute.
Much more voluntary than during the slap suffered on Sunday against Reims (0-3), they continued to get chances, forcing Lopes to intervene again on strikes from Ludovic Blas (22nd, 50th, 78th) and against Ignatius Ganago (40th).
They also lost a lot of balls on too hasty or imprecise actions, and Lyon knew how to be dangerous in offensive transitions.
– Blas’ feat –
But the Yellow and Green defense held firm, with a once again intractable Nicolas Pallois. And above all, the Gones multiplied the strikes without managing to frame a single one before a free kick from Alexandre Lacazette into the wall in the 84th minute.
Revealed one evening in January 2020 at La Beaujoire during an 8th final of the Coupe de France where he had accumulated two goals and two assists when he was only 16 years old, Ryan Cherki was particularly helpless.
And as often in Nantes, it was Blas who unblocked the situation. Served with his back to goal in the box by a stung ball from Fabien Centonze, the captain of the Coupe de France campaign performed a double chest and shoulder check before turning to unleash a shot from the left that deceived Lopes (1-0, 57th).
Even when the Lyonnais increased the pressure at the end of the match, the Nantes people were also dangerous, like this shot from Samuel Moutoussamy close to the post (78th).
And when Bradley Barcola, scorer on Sunday in Paris, sank into the box in the very last minutes, he saw his shot repelled from the shoulder by Alban Lafont, who entered half an hour into the game replacing Rémy Descamps , visibly hurt.
The question of which goalkeeper to line up at the Stade de France may still agitate La Jonelière in the coming weeks, but for the supporters, it’s time to celebrate. “We’re hot to do it again,” he announced on a large banner.
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