Coupe de France: end of course for the Girondins de Bordeaux

The courage of the Girondins de Bordeaux was not enough. For their 32nd final of the Coupe de France, the Bordelais had inherited a big piece: Stade Rennais, a Ligue 1 club, three divisions above the residents of National 2. Conflicts between supporters aside, the party promised to be beautiful at the Stade Matmut Atlantique.

The hope of an exploit hovers in the heads of the 20,000 supporters and almost seems to become reality after the Bordeaux opener signed Bahassa (18th). Unfortunately, the Bretons did not come to Gironde for tourism, but rather to obtain a qualification and treat themselves to a nice present before Christmas. After Truffert's equalizer at the end of the first half, Rennes accelerated after the break. Three new goals definitively sealed the score, without silencing the chants and encouragement of the Gironde fans, present until the last minute.

At the final whistle, the heavy score (1-4) clearly reflects the gap in level between a 4th division club and an elite club. However, it takes nothing away from the courage and self-sacrifice of Bruno Irles' men throughout this meeting.

No more Girondin clubs in the competition

Before the elimination of Bordeaux this Sunday, December 22, another Gironde club had also left the competition this weekend. Sport Athlétique Mérignacais (Regional 1) faced Stade Lavallois (Ligue 2) on Friday December 20. Four divisions separated the two teams, and yet the score was still goalless after more than 90 minutes of combat, played on a pitch damaged by the Mérignac Rugby scrums.

However, during the penalty shootout, the Gironde fans ended up losing (4-3). In the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, there will therefore no longer be any Gironde club in the running.