They obviously hoped for Paris Saint-Germain. When Group C of the Coupe de France draw was revealed in the afternoon, this Monday, December 2, SA Mérignac (SAM) had a one in 21 chance of falling against PSG and a 28% chance of play a Ligue 1 club. At the start of the evening, the players were all gathered to watch the draw broadcast live from the Ground sports complex in Bordeaux, where they recover every Monday.
When their name came out against Stade Lavallois, current 8e in Ligue 2, their first reaction was disappointment at not playing a more prestigious potential opponent, like Lens, Paris or Rennes – who will play against the Girondins de Bordeaux. “But it’s still a Ligue 2 club. We’re going to play a professional club, four divisions apart. Whatever happens, we will be motivated until the end and the feat is possible in this cup”, reacts Issam Khouhous, scorer on Saturday November 30 during the qualification against Beaumont-Saint-Cyr (1-1, 4 shots on goal). goal at 2), which allowed the club to reach for the first time in its history the 32es final of the Coupe de France.
“Compete against professional players”
For the coach, Clément Tapy, “when the disappointment of not facing PSG subsides, there will be great motivation. This is quite a draw for an amateur club. We'll try to have fun, the rest will be a bonus. And if we have more, it will be the magic of the Coupe de France,” he promises. It's not every day that SAM has the opportunity to face a club of this level.
“We are going to compete against professional players and a good team, which played their way up to L1 last year. We know it's going to be hard, but it's still football. We have nothing to lose. At the start of the season, we never would have thought it would come to this,” relish Jalil Fella, Ilyes Messaoudi and Bunyamin Bingol. Their families and friends also followed the draw on TV. They will be there to encourage them at home (the stadium remains to be defined). “It will be a big event. »
France
