There will be several players from AS Saint-Étienne trained at the club in the group who will make the short trip to Groupama Stadium (Moueffek, Nadé, Pétrot, Amougou and Mouton). Players who therefore know the uniqueness of this meeting and will have to transmit to others the state of mind necessary to compete in it.
Arrived at the club at the age of 11, Aimen Moueffek immersed in this rivalry since childhood. In the columns of Progresshe recalls his derby memories, including his first contested in U12 under the leadership of Razik Nedder with a victory: “Already, at that time, we were instilled with the culture of the derby. Before arriving at Saint-Étienne, I knew a little about the importance of this match, but when you are inside and you see the craze , the pressure and the preparation, you really realize the value of this meeting Two or three weeks before, we were already hot.
Only 15 years old, Moueffek had played his first derby with the U17 Nationals, in Lyon with again a victory at the end (3-1): “We won 3-1 in Lyon, it was hot because there were a lot of people there. The bus ride there also had an impact on me. Usually, we put on music and, despite concentration, we was laughing. There, everyone had their headphones on and no one said a word. There wasn't a sound. You felt very well that you weren't going to play a match like the others.
Not a match like any other, no matter the competition. In January 2018, the Greens faced their Lyon counterparts in the prestigious Gambardella Cup in the 64th final. That day, Moueffek shook the nets, ASSE won (3-2) and qualified. But the most important thing is not the qualification: “We didn't care a bit about the Gambardella: it was a derby before being a cup tour. And you know you don't have the right to make mistakes.”
Among the pros, the Moroccan U23 international has not yet enjoyed success. His first derby dates from November 8, 2020 during the COVID period. Entering the game, he was unable to prevent the defeat of his team, despite a penalty in the 88th minute which could offer the point of the draw but missed by Denis Bouanga. His first tenure remains a painful memory. It was during the shipwreck in the Cauldron on January 24, 2021 (0-5): “It's a match to forget, even if I was young and I learned a lot from this defeat. I would still have preferred to win and not learn. Winning a derby gives a lot of confidence and it almost gives a totem of immunity for a while But that day, we didn't play well, we got into trouble ourselves. In football, you have to get your head back together quickly because the matches are tough. But to say that the following week I had forgotten this derby would be a lie.”
This time, we hope that this derby will remain etched in the memories and in particular in that of Moueffek for good reasons.
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