With 13 points in six games, Stade Brestois, if successful against Shakhtar Donetsk, could well secure a direct and historic qualification in the round of 16 of the Champions League. An extraordinary performance from a heroic formation, carried by strong men.
Heroic, irresistible, irreducible… There are numerous adjectives to describe the European epic achieved by Stade Brestois. In Gelsenkirchen, in Germany against Shakhtar Donestk, Brest, already assured of competing at least in the play-offs, could, if successful, come very close to direct qualification for the round of 16 of the Champions League. With already 13 points on the clock in six games, Eric Roy’s men are undeniably THE surprise of this edition.
Brendan Chardonnet, captain courage
The armband suits him so well. At the club since 2016, the captain of the Bretons has known everything with Stade Brestois. Solid on his supports, good in the air, serene when restarting, Brendan Chardonnet supports and reassures his partners in complicated moments. If, like many of his teammates, he is playing his first minutes in the European Cup, he quickly adapted to the atmosphere of major events to become a key player in the Champions League.
Denis Le Saint and Grégory Lorenzi, the men in the shadows
They do not express themselves on the field but behind the scenes. When Denis Le Saint took charge of Stade Brestois in 2016, the club was still playing in Ligue 2. Two years later, the new president was already experiencing his first great moment, seeing his team return to the elite five years later. The Breton squad then remained in the first division and enjoyed a historic 2023/2024 season in Ligue 1 with a third place finish, synonymous with qualification for the first Champions League in its history.
With a budget of 45 million euros, the 14th budget in Ligue 1 (out of 18), Brest knows how to recruit intelligently to form a competitive team capable of reaching the European summits. At the head of this successful recruitment, including in particular the loan of Abdallah Sima, the Finistériens’ top scorer in this competition (3 goals), is sports director Grégory Lorenzi at the helm. Courted all summer by foreign clubs and top names in the French championship for his qualities, his network and his vision, he made the bold and profitable choice to stay in Brittany.
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Éric Roy, the spine
Eleven years of famine after his dismissal from OGC Nice in November 2011, Éric Roy tiptoed into January 2023 on the Breton bench. A surprising and disconcerting choice for supporters who were quickly contradicted. In addition to ensuring maintenance (his main mission), he led Brest to the top by winning, at the end of the 2023-2024 season, a historic third place with qualification for the first Champions League of the history of the club. Logically expected to turn the corner this season, not helped by physical problems and a busy schedule, the native of Nice manages to juggle his squad in the best possible way to thwart the predictions in C1, ensure maintenance in Ligue 1 and stay in the race in the French Cup. At the end of the contract in June, discussions around the extension of the polyglot technician are underway and on track, even if he is very popular abroad.
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Marco Bizot, the last rampart
When the Bretons falter and are logically led by teams accustomed to the European meeting, they can rely on their last rampart Marco Bizot. Already impeccable in Ligue 1, the Pirates can thank their Dutch goalkeeper in this European Cup. Far from being a novice (he played around twenty matches with his former club AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League), against Salzburg and PSV, Bizot disgusted the opposing attackers by delivering remarkable and decisive performances resulting in numerous stops.
Hugo Magnetti and Pierre Lees-Melou, magnificent scorers
Often aligned in the heart of the game with Mahdi Camara and Edimilson Fernandes, Hugo Magnetti, at the club since 2018, produces solid performances. At 26 years old, the native of Marseille is and will remain whatever happens the first scorer in the history of his club in the Champions League thanks to his marvelous goal against Sturm Graz.
He is one of the architects of this historic qualification for the European Cup. Due to a long injury resulting in an operation on his fibula, Pierre Lees-Melou had to be patient before playing his first minutes in C1. Against Leverkusen, he scored a remarkable goal with a beautiful, balanced volley. On arrival, his achievement allowed the Pirates to take a point against Bayer, the reigning German champion. Just that.
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