FC 93 leaves the Coupe de France with honors – Seine-Saint-Denis

“We are going to approach this match in the same way as a National 2 match: by respecting our opponent and putting our guts on the pitch”had warned Mohamed Coulibaly, coach of FC 93 before the 32^e in the Coupe de France final between his club, 2^e of National 2 (the equivalent of 4^e division), au SCO d’Angers, 15^e of Ligue 1. On the pitch, despite a frustrating defeat (0-1), his players proved him right for a long time. Led by an excellent Farid Beziouen, a twirling pocket attacking midfielder despite his 38 years, they entered the game perfectly, well helped, it must be said, by a melting Auguste-Delaune stadium that neither the cold nor the rain could resist. knew how to temper. Faced with a much stronger team on paper, the Sequanodionysians had no complexes.

The first to shine, on the FC 93 side, was midfielder Cheikne Traoré who, after provoking on the left side and transplanting into the center, fired a good shot from the right but it grazed the goalkeeper's right post Angevin Melvin Zinga (12^e minute). The stadium then began to vibrate. Especially since a few minutes later, it was the turn of the striker, Mel Lasme, to show off his physique by heading in a cross from the right. But Zinga relaxed and prevented the opening score. In the stands, the supporters said to themselves at that moment that there was a chance to be played and that the feat was ultimately only within reach.

The 1-1 ball in added time

“I am impressed by the commitment of the FC 93 players, they seem to be hungrier than Angerswondered Moncef, 15, at half-time, who was attending his first meeting at the Delaune stadium. The atmosphere is also extraordinary, we don't have the impression that this team is in National 2, they look like professionals. » His father, Abdelali, who never stopped raising his voice to encourage his team throughout the match, did not hide his joy at being part of the celebration. “The Coupe de France is a televised event followed by many French people. Tonight, Bobigny is in the spotlight, it’s great for this city and this club. »

At the start of the second act, the blacks of FC, in white for the occasion, continued to press their opponent, to fight like hell on all the balls. An interesting strategy but which, as the minutes ticked by, ended up leaving its mark. At the hour mark, the Balbyniens began to slow down and what was supposed to happen happened: Angers, who had had two chances so far, opened the scoring through Estéban Lepaul with a loose shot. from the left on which Oumar Sissoko, impeccable from start to finish, could do nothing. Despite a final warning – a volley from the left by Younousse Sankharé over the goal in added time – the score would not move. And Bobigny-Bagnolet-Gagny would do no better than in 2015 when, while it was still called Bobigny and playing in the honorary division, it was taken out by another Ligue 1, Évian-Thonon Gaillard (3- 0), at the same stage of the competition.

“We don't have to be ashamed of this defeat because we fought well and we could even have won if we had been a little more realisticdeclared Reda Kaddouri, captain of FC 93, after the meeting. This match not only allowed us to measure ourselves against a stronger opponent but also, given our performance, to give us confidence for the future, in the championship in particular. » The next N2 match will take place in Créteil on January 4. But in the meantime, Reda and his teammates will enjoy some well-deserved rest and reunion with family.

Grégoire Remund

Photos: ©Sylvain Hitau