Qualified for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, FC Espaly exploded with joy on Sunday evening when they discovered their next opponent during the draw. The fifth division club will face PSG in January, defeating RC Lens on penalties.
The magic of the Coupe de France. Usually, PSG's opponents are very happy to face the capital club in competition. But for the FC Espaly players, this confrontation has a completely different flavor.
Sunday, two days after overthrowing Dijon in the 32nd finals thanks to a victory on penalties, the fifth division club (N3) was awaiting the draw for the next round of the Coupe de France. A moment which caused scenes of jubilation in a bar in this commune of Haute-Loire.
“This print is classy!”
For the occasion, the members of the team came together to experience the draw together. An endless wait for volunteers, players and managers. The latter had to wait for the last two balls in the bowl to know their opponents. An untenable suspense rewarded by a confrontation that they will always remember, against the winner of the match between Lens and Paris.
When the draw was made, the match between RC Lens and PSG had still not kicked off. But for Espaly, it still meant that the club was going to meet a Ligue 1 resident. A dream poster which made the players explode with joy.
“It's fantastic, the cafe was full to the brim and there had already been shouting when the OM ball was drawn, but now, it was shouting everywhere. This print is classy! We are a family club and it was my dream. I haven't come down very well since our qualification on Friday and now, I even think I've come back up!”, rejoiced Christian Perbet, the president, at the microphone of L'Équipe.
Which stadium for the meeting?
On the other hand, the name of FC Espaly's opponent was declared at the very end of the evening on Sunday evening. As with the Haute-Loire club, the Parisians had to go through the penalty shootout to advance to the next round. The latter was marked by the Paris goalkeeper, decisive twice and hero of the evening.
If the venue to host PSG is still not defined, the town of 3,000 inhabitants is already impatient to face the reigning French champion. Currently, the stadium which could act as a favorite to host this round of 16 would be that of Puy-en-Velay. But the Saint-Etienne enclosure, Geoffroy-Guichard, still remains an option. The meeting is scheduled for January 15.
