This is the principle of the dream. It is soft, soothing and gives the illusion that everything is endlessly beautiful. But his fate is to faint in the morning. For Versailles, it was in the night on the Riviera that everything stopped. We must not blame the Nice alarm clock, triggered by the amazing Amine Gouiri. She was just there to put the Versailles crampons back on earth but will not erase the beautiful things of the Coupe de France adventure.
The Yvelinois will not join Calais, the only fourth division team to have played in a cup final in 2000 before filing for bankruptcy a few years later. Versailles has other ambitions than being a simple fireworks display, even fired above the beautiful gardens designed by Le Nôtre four centuries ago. The cup adventure is supposed to be a boost for Ligue 2. Not just a story to lull young Versaillesers to sleep by the fireside in winter.
In Nice, on the other hand, there are fewer opportunities to light fireplaces, but the story is also beautiful. The Riviera club had never played in a Coupe de France final at the Stade de France. The last time he had played, and won one, was in 1997 on the lawn of the Parc des Princes.
Two jewels to make Versailles flinch
Just before kick-off, a message “No to war” broadcast on the giant screens of the Allianz Riviera reminded everyone of the fragility and luck of being able to get carried away, three hours by plane from Kiev, to just a football game. But since we can stick to the haphazard way of talking regarding sport, let’s recognize that the Azureans, contenders for a place in the Champions League next season, have long been bogged down in sterile and somewhat annoying possession of the ball. With a team that had in turn taken out PSG then OM, we foolishly imagined that a National 2 formation would be quickly swallowed up. With a scenario written in advance: a classic attack-defense with Versailles cornered on their goal. All false. On the contrary, National 2 fans were playing high, not returning the ball too quickly.
Inevitably shaken at the break by Christophe Galtier, they finally play with ease. On a cross from the right side of Lotomba, Amine Gouiri, the finest player on the lawn, controls the chest and sends the ball into the skylight of Versailles (1-0, 48th). And that’s nothing compared to the second goal: a raid from the central circle, three Versaillesers in the wind with a simple control and a caviar for Dolberg which seals the match (2-0, 73rd). It took two jewels to shake the team symbolizing the royal crown. “Taking this first goal so quickly at the start of the second period, it hurt us, explains Maël Durand de Cheviney. Because behind, Nice is the best defense in L1. His teammate Makan Traoré abounds between pride and disappointment. “We have nothing to be ashamed of and we only retain positive things from this epic. It must serve us to go up”.
In the other locker room, Amine Gouiri, the little prince of Nice, explains in a word, the recipe for qualification “You had to respect the Tom Thumb, he admits. That’s what we did. The coach always asks us to respect the opponent. »