The match has been over for 15 minutes and the Stade de France looks like a horseshoe: two-thirds yellow with the Nantes supporters. And the rest completely empty, because deserted in a few moments by Nice fans disappointed in front of the completely failed match of the Aiglons. But the winners of the Coupe de France 2022 do not even see it. They run everywhere, embrace their supporters, recover their cellphones to immortalize the moment. They are young, they are yellow, they are happy.
Just before the trophy presentation, they put on the words of happiness. “It’s just magnificent, savors Alban Lafont on Eurosport. It is the victory of a group, not only those who were on the ground. We are all proud of ourselves tonight. The coach told us that we had a good first period, but to put more personality in the decisive areas. We entered with more relaxation. We had to play our last cards to be able to win. “. Faced with the yellow tide around him, Lafont opens his eyes wide: “It’s just phenomenal, it’s like being at La Beaujoire with all these supporters. We will savor. Very close to him, Andrei Girotto, has his eyes filled with joy: “We dreamed of this moment, he admits. I congratulate the whole team. We fought until the end. This victory is for our supporters. Last year we were not well, we were almost down to L2. And with the same team and the same staff, we started a solid job. Today he paid. »
Blas the successor
For his part, Nicolas Pallois, author of a performance as broad as his shoulders, made his accounts: “It has been 21 years since the people of Nantes have been waiting for a new trophy (Editor’s note: a championship title in 2001). We did, and in a good way I think. It was a good Nice team up front, so we can only be very happy. We’re all going to party together. “. In front of the spans in jubilation, he recognizes that the match from the stands was won even before the kick-off. “It screamed a little more on the Nantes side than in Nice (laughs). It was a great atmosphere, and it ends well. It’s just wonderful for the people of Nantes. It’s combat. We had to defend well. They didn’t have too many chances. Last year we got scared, this year we had to redeem ourselves. We are having a great season in the league. The coach brings his leg back, everyone is behind him. »
It is 11:20 p.m. and the dream moment finally arrives: Ludovic Blas, author of the only goal of the match, succeeds Henri Michel (1979) and Mickaël Landreau (1999, 2000). He raises the Coupe de France and launches the signal for a crazy night of festivities.