TOPS/FLOPS – The capital feat of the resident of Ligue 2, Balerdi misses his shot on goal… Find out what caught the attention of the editorial staff this Wednesday evening.
TOPS
Annecy, the dream continues
Until now, Annecy had inherited a rather simple course. The Anneciens had notably faced the Diables Noirs of Combani, Lyon La Duchère, Villerupt or even Belfort. Laurent Guyot’s men, however, performed well in the round of 16 by winning against Paris FC. But this Wednesday evening, Annecy showed incredible mastery to win against the Marseille ogre. Realistic in attack, solid in defence, full of composure and tactically brilliant thanks to their coach, the Annecy players have won a semi-final in the Coupe de France. The dream continues…
Majestic Thomas Callens
Will you believe us if we tell you that the Annecy goalkeeper Thomas Callens is not even the usual holder of the club? Well, it is. Today, the 24-year-old goalkeeper delivered a magnificent performance. He first stopped a strike from Dimitri Payet at the start of the match (10th). The Annecy goalkeeper then stopped a shot from Alexis Sanchez before losing to Veretout. But in the second half, Thomas Callens pulled out all the stops. He first saved his side after a ball hit by his teammate Mouanga who could have hit the mark (81st). And five minutes from time, the French goalkeeper won his face-to-face in front of Alexis Sanchez on penalty. During the penalty shootout, Callens even saved Nuno Tavares’ strike. What a performance!
Mughe, the (only) beautiful story
The young Cameroonian striker will have had a funny evening. At just 18 years old and fresh from the game, François-Régis Mughe delayed the defeat of OM. If we were expecting Dimitri Payet, Valentin Rongier or Alexis Sanchez instead, it was finally the young player – who had not played any match so far – lobbed Thomas Callens to allow his team to return to equality and experience a session of shots on goal, even if this one will not have been successful.
FLOPS
Three chaotic days for Marseille
Olympique de Marseille had to raise their heads this Wednesday evening after the disappointment suffered last Sunday against PSG (0-3). This Wednesday, Igor Tudor’s men sink a little deeper by losing to Annecy in the Coupe de France. Dimitri Payet’s teammates had high hopes after the victory over PSG in the round of 16 and dreamed of winning a trophy they hadn’t won since 1989. Well, that won’t be the case. “professional misconduct“, even mentioned Valentin Rongier at the microphone of Bein Sports after the meeting. OM will have to quickly raise their heads this weekend in Ligue 1 against Rennes.
Balerdi misses his last shot
As the game progressed, Leonardo Balerdi had increased in power. Before sinking. The Argentinian lost his duels, was clumsy and even missed the final penalty in the penalty shootout. His shot was not stopped by Thomas Callens, but went left of the post. His disappointment at the final whistle is justified even if it is obviously not the only culprit.