On Wednesday August 25, 1971, ASSE, which, beaten by Marseille, had just failed to win a fifth consecutive championship title, hosted, on the third day, Stade de Reims, another legendary club.
The Champenois returned to D1 the previous season, after having fallen from their pedestal, and spent five championships out of the last six in the second division. For its part, ASSE must digest the damage from the affair.Carnus-Bosquier” and above all rebuild yourself in defense. Besides the departure of these two pillars of the rearguard, Wladimir Durkovic et Francis Camérini also left the club, for Sion and Nice which also welcomed the best Stéphane scorer in history, Hervé Revelli. We don't know it yet, but the current no longer passes between Albert Batteuxconsidered to be the best French coach, and President Rocher who had fired Carnus and Bosquier from the club a few days before the end of the championship, against the advice of the coach.
It is in this atmosphere that the athlete regained the upper hand. The summer holidays are not over, and it is in front of an average crowd of around sixteen thousand people that the two teams, who have not yet experienced victory, will face off. Stade de Reims remains in a home defeat against Red Star (0-1)after bringing back a draw from Nancy (0-0). It's worse for the Stéphanois who, to everyone's surprise, lost in the Cauldron for the opening match against Nîmes Olympique (1-3)before being beaten again in front of rival Nantais (3-4) to Marcel Saupin.
The Rémois will, however, bear the brunt of the awakening of Batteux's men. After twenty minutes of play they are knocked out standing. Recital, Salif Keita who made the powder speak (3rd, 12th and 19th), while in the meantime Patrick Revelli (10th) had also crucified the Rémois goalkeeper, Manet (4-0). We couldn't hang around the refreshment bar, and it wasn't over yet. The Cauldron in Madness was going to attend, at the same time, a festival Jean-Michel Larque. In twenty minutes, a hat-trick for the man with a hundred goals in green. (25th, 42nd and 45th). Take stock at half-time ASSE: 7. Stade de Reims: 0. As is often the case in these cases, the second period will be calmer. Patrick Revelli would still achieve his double by scoring a quarter of an hour from the end, before the Yugoslav Galic “saved the honor” ten minutes from time. It was said that the last word would be from Saint-Etienne and Salif Keita was going to achieve at the last minute one of the three quadruplets that he was going to display on his CV at the end of his stay in Foréz. Nine goals to one, those who hadn't returned from vacation were wrong.
We won't go so far as to say that after the match, champagne was out in the green locker room.
