Franck Haise, coach of Lens, following the qualification of his players in Lorient in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, 1-1, 4-2 on pens: “We had a good first half where we should have scored the second goal in a few situations, but Lorient pushed harder in the second half. After the equalizer, we had to switch to the shots on goal, not stay on the 90/95 minutes of play. The players did it very well.
We did Brest outside (3-1, round of 32)we have just done Lorient, we will go to Nantes… (About the quarter-final behind closed doors) It’s obviously a shame for Nantes but it’s a shame for football necessarily. We would have liked to receive too but if we continue the course, we will have another chance. Ambition does not go down, from the beginning, we tell ourselves that everything is possible. The fact of never having won it is not an additional motivation, the Coupe de France is an important motivation on its own. It’s a magnificent trophy, and emotions to live. »
Régis Le Bris, coach of Lorient: “It was a very instructive evening. We still have benchmarks to set […]. The players are not interchangeable parts like in a clockwork. It takes time. It’s the game experience that will allow us to move things forward. Little by little, we managed the defensive aspects better, because they really managed to find passing circuits that bothered us a lot. It gave us a better continuity in the game.
In the second half, we managed to gradually reverse the balance of power in our favour. The equalizer is deserved. Then, Lens negotiated the shots on goal better than us. It’s not a lottery at all, it’s a specific exercise. I obviously come out of it frustrated but we have experienced emotions together. The stadium vibrated once more tonight (THURSDAY). The Cup would have added salt to the rest of the season, but the salt comes from the game. I am very excited to continue the season with this group. We enjoy. I have no doubts regarding the ambition of the club, the staff and the players for the remaining 16 matches. »
