One week has passed in an ordinary season. The example comes from above. Thinking about this Cannes-Goal FC this Friday, it was impossible to ignore the current atmosphere. And the fresh memory of PSG Bayern (5-4) in the Champions League.
The kind of match that reconciles you with football as a game of all possibilities. Accepting the imbalance to strike better, when the best take on their responsibilities, it reminded how football is primarily a story of players who decide to be the actors of their own destiny.
So, days after such a celebration of the game, one must dive back into the immediate present, in National 2, with the hope of experiencing a match that may not be as elaborate but carries a specific expectation, because the end is near. For everyone. Here, the Cannes-Goal FC duel.
Mathieu Chabert (AS Cannes coach): “If we win on Friday night, we will be first”
Honoring the Azur guests first. Cannes missed its appointment in Nimes last week (lost 3-0), in unexpected proportions, without its supporters. Incomprehensible. And this Friday, entering their Coubertin field to face Goal FC, they have two points to make up for to reclaim their leading position, and put pressure on Nimes, who will be visiting Andrezieux tomorrow.
Stakes that are on the mind of the Azur coach, Mathieu Chabert, like reminders of the idea that anything is possible, with three matches to go. Returning from Nimes last weekend, AS Cannes’ coach was quite clear about his team’s failure in Gard.
To better project towards the resistant Goalois visiting. He declared this, showing resilience when it is time to bounce back: “We did not play the right match in Nimes. We were defeated. There is no regret because we were not up to it. It was one of the finals for promotion. There are three more to go. Now, we will be in a position of hunters. If we win on Friday night, we will be first. We need to apply pressure.”
This sets the stage for a meeting that many Lyon fans will follow with great interest, especially because the presence of former Caladois player, number 10 Maxime Blanc, remains a rare pleasure in the game.
Maxime Blanc: “We fear Goal FC, because after their first match, they will want to take revenge at our place”
And the orchestrator of AS Cannes, who has experienced the atmospheres of spring when promotion is on everyone’s mind, with FCVB in 2018, knows how tricky these last steps, in these circumstances, can be. Blanc reminded that they fear Goal FC, as after their first match, they will be seeking revenge at their place.
At the first leg, Goal FC had indeed suffered a harsh defeat (0-5) in January, after flirting with the top of the standings. Since that match, much has changed for both teams. However, the question remains: how will these two teams reunite after the wild and entirely controlled first match by Cannes?
If Goal FC still needs to secure a point or two for safety, the challenge at Cannes this Friday seems too high for Coach Pierre Thimonier’s team, a tactician who rarely beat around the bush.
Pierre Thimonier (Goal FC coach): “We may be struck by lightning”
Before heading south, Thimonier confirmed the expectations of the expected imbalance between the two teams. “I would have preferred them to win against Nimes,” confessed the Goal FC coach, quite wary. “We may be struck by lightning. There will be a real need to fight at their place, with all their supporters behind them. They will want to redeem themselves.”
Fresh in memory, their team snatched a disappointing draw (1-1) against Hyeres last Saturday. This time, any delay at the start must be avoided, because a season is at stake.
Thimonier warned, “We must have a real will to win all our duels from the start, against all odds. They have important offensive weapons (Abbas, Noc, Gerbeaud). For me, they are the real contenders for promotion, even if last week, they slipped up in a match. I think, against us, the reaction will be crucial.”
The stage is set for an extraordinary meeting in a season finale that is just as remarkable. A special event for everyone.
Friday, May 1st, 28th matchday of National 2, Group C. In Cannes, at 6 p.m., at Pierre de Coubertin Stadium, AS Cannes (2nd) welcomes Goal FC (9th). Refereed by Mr. Chamel.
AS Cannes group: Aymes, Vanni, Corchia, Gueho, Smith, Mambu, Abderrahmane, Goncalves, Caumont, Blanc, Ndoye, Almike, Doumbouya, Abbas, Morgan, Gerbeaud, Noc, Oggad.
Goal FC group: Marsella, Coulibaly, Dariot, Dedola, Maoulida, Ndiaye, Bargain, Gharbi, Dufau, Bendaoud, Meftahi, Allegret, Diallo, Lemoine, Dramé, Djedid.
