Gala match in Brittany for the Messins! Stéphane Le Mignan’s men went to the Moustoir stadium with the ambition of making a big impact in the standings. A slightly missed opportunity, since FC Metz could not do better than a draw against FC Lorient in an extremely closed meeting (0-0).
The date had been marked for a while in the calendar FC Metz like that of FC Lorient. This meeting against the championship leader was certainly on everyone’s minds and this was felt from the outset on the pitch. Indeed, it took time for the twenty-two to get into their match. Time to size each other up, confront each other block against block, then draw.
The Morbihannais opened the ball, with a strike of That is, Junior Kroupi at the entrance to the area which passed well above the cage of the new Metz goalkeeper, Arnaud Bodart (15′). The latter had still let a great thrill pass in the bays of the visitors’ park after a completely missed restart, but the lob attempted from afar by Laurent Abergel was ultimately safe (17′).
Despite a little scare at the start of the match, the neo-Messin Arnaud Bodart put in a good performance. Photo: Christophe Saidi/FEP/Icon Sport
Enough to wake up the rather timid Messins, despite a significant control in the midfield, who were going to shine first of all with set pieces and in particular a well-felt corner from Gauthier Hein which was volleyed by Matthew Howltaking advantage of rather lax marking. But his shot went just over the Lorient goalkeeper’s bar (35′).
Then the Garnets gained confidence in the opposing camp and took advantage of the spaces left on the left side. Until almost hitting the mark, with this center of Jessy Deminguet to Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly et Koffi Kouao in the surface. The first one regained its head but it was far too imprecise to worry Yvon Mvogo (40′). A lack of realism that was frustrating, again.
Garnets in diesel mode
Upon returning from the locker room, the FC Lorient set off again in full swing, with two opportunities in quick succession against Messins who were taken by surprise. The wisp That is, Junior Kroupi enjoyed dribbling before hitting just wide of the left postArnaud Bodart (47′). Then it was the turn of Yongwa to make Kouao dizzy before sending a cross to Gédéon Kalulu who attempted a curled shot off target (48′). New warning at no cost, the outcome of Ligue 2 can be decided by a missed wake-up call.
Eli Junior Kroupi caused a few scares for the Messins, without finding the fault. Photo: Christophe Saidi/FEP/Icon Sport
The Bretons, for their part, felt the tide turn and settled more or less permanently in the Metz camp. Once again a round of observation was needed to allow the Garnets to get back upright. What followed was a new battle for control of the midfield at a pace which decreased in concert with the ambient temperature as the minutes passed. A configuration that had everything to please purists, less spectacle enthusiasts.
The lines tightened in each camp and the technical accuracy gave way to more and more waste, making the end of the match quite messy and poor in chances. A distant but timid strike from Laurent Abergel (80′), free kicks from Gauthier Hein – author once again of a good match in the role of metronome otherwise, but left very alone – who found no one in the area, repeated fouls and a final thrill given by Julien Ponceau who missed his shot with his right foot a few meters from the goal (90+’)… Sharing the points could only be the only outcome of a closed match (with any possibility of thrilling).
at the Moustoir stadium, Mehdi Abirez.
FC Lorient 0 – 0 FC Metz
FC Lorient : Mvogo – Yongwa, Talbi, Laporte, Kalulu – Katseris (Mendy, 45′), Abergel (cap.), Makengo (Le Bris, 45′), Avom – Kroupi (Ponceau, 75′), Soumano.
FC Metz : Bodart – Udol (cap.), Candé, Lo, Sané, Kouao – Deminguet (A. Touré, 70′), Stambouli, Hein, Jallow (Van den Kerkhof, 83′) – Sabaly (I. Gueye, 83′) .
Warnings : Yongwa (74′), Van den Kerkhof (88′), Igor Silva (90+’)
Arbitrator : Faouzi Benchabane
Affluence : 13,529 spectators.
Featured photo : Christophe Saidi/FEP/Icon Sport
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