There are matches that count for three points. And there are those that mark a career, a city, sometimes even an entire generation. This Saturday evening (6 p.m.), at the Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium, AS Cannes will play one of those rare encounters against US Lusitanos Saint-Maur. A final for promotion, a clash between the first and third, a match with a special flavor in a venue that promises to be electric.
“We all dream of playing games like that”
In the midst of all this anticipation, Cédric Gonçalves keeps a cool head. But behind the apparent calm of the Cannes midfielder, the emotion is palpable. “Of course, we all dream of playing big matches like this in front of a lot of people. The stadium is set to be full so it’s wonderful for us,” he says. A simple, sincere statement, reflecting a player who understands this club perfectly and what this moment represents.
Unlike last season’s French Cup semifinal, the context is completely different this time. There are no bonuses. There is a clear objective, embraced for months, even years: to bring AS Cannes back to the top. “We live for the league, we live to take the club to the highest level,” reminds Gonçalves. No beating around the bush.
In a city where the event is a topic of conversation everywhere, on social media and in the streets, the team still tries to maintain its balance. No wildness, no emotional overload. “We’ve had a typical week in our training. We’re not doing more, not less,” a way to stay focused on the essential, even though the players know perfectly well what awaits them today.
A dream awaited for years
And perhaps more than others, Cédric Gonçalves understands the significance of this moment. He was already there during the promotion from National 3 to National 2. He has seen the club evolve, grow, rebuild year after year. Arriving five seasons ago with the idea of participating in the club’s return to the professional world, he now sees this dream coming closer. “It’s my main goal to bring the club back up top. I would be very proud to be part of the team that can do it,”
In his words, there’s the attachment of a player who has become a strong face of the Cannes project. He talks about experience, evolution, the pleasure of seeing the club structure itself over the seasons. But above all, he talks about a collective mission: offering AS Cannes a new chapter in its history.
And if tonight turns out to be a smile for the Red and White? Gonçalves doesn’t hide what such a moment would mean. “Certainly the most beautiful of my career,” he whispers. Everything is said. Coubertin will not only resonate for a football match. It will resonate for a dream that an entire club has been awaiting for years.
AS Cannes advances if…
- It wins against Saint-Maur
- It draws and Nîmes (2nd, 56 points) doesn’t win against Limonest
