2023-07-30 21:08:08
A large audience, prestigious clubs, and an unmissable event for recruiters… For several years, the European U21 tournament in Ploufragan, played at the Center Technique de Bretagne Henri Guérin, has become a benchmark. Raphaël Varane, Riyad Mahrez or Eliesse Ben Seghir played there… This Sunday, the 25th edition was won by Paris FC.
The team led by Mathieu Lacan (director of the training center) and Flavien Binant beat Standard de Liège (4-1, goals from Mahour, Soumahoro, Oualengbe and Diaby), Rennes (0-0, 5-4 on penalties on goal) and Nice (2-0, goals from Kahldi and Sissoko) to qualify for the final. After Zakaria Kahldi equalized on a pass from Omar Sissoko (1-1, 21st), the Parisians won against Saint-Étienne after a very long penalty shootout (8-7 ). Goalkeeper Melvin Douniama stopped two attempts from Saint-Etienne.
Parisian Omar Sissoko voted best hope
In addition to the final victory, Paris FC left with the trophy for the best hope for striker Omar Sissoko (2006). Arrived from Créteil in 2022 for the U17s, he was upgraded to U19 then to N3 (1 goal) last season. He signed a trainee contract last May until 2026.
If the other young Paris FC pros (Nkambadio, Gueho, Mendy, Koré) were with the L2 group which faced AC Ajaccio on Saturday in a friendly, Gabriel Oualengbe (19) was present in Brittany. Scorer on Wednesday in a friendly against Versailles with the L2, he was one of the best players on his team during this tournament. “We won for our second participation in this big tournament, it’s historic, welcomes Mathieu Lacan. We are just happy! For the club, our training center which is only five years old, our kids, it’s huge! We manage to exist in front of these big training centers. This victory values and rewards the work we have been doing for years. It is revealing and will really count in the progression and ascent of our young people. »
Many players of this generation played in N3 last season. But Paris FC was relegated for one point and will therefore play in R1. “It had a good impact on all of us, recognizes Mathieu Lacan. The players were very affected but they managed to get up as shown by this victory at Ploufragan. It’s strong. Last season, we had a very young group and we were not rewarded in this season when there were five runs. But that does not call into question the quality of our work. In R1, we will continue with this very young group, it will be formative for them. »
Paris FC will also come up against opponents outside Île-de-France. “In addition to the R1 championship, we will organize friendly matches during the week against other professional reserves or prestigious foreign clubs, reveals Mathieu Lacan. We don’t have the means to stop our reserves like Monaco or Nice did. But the Federation should look into a championship or a Cup for the reserves. When you see the intensity and the level that there was here in Ploufragan, it could be a good thing. »
#Football #victory #count #Paris #winner #prestigious #tournament #training #centers