It was the “real” final. Defeated by Nîmes (3-0) three weeks ago in another decisive match, Cannes hosted Saint-Maur this Saturday afternoon, the third club involved in the promotion race in National 2 Group C.
In front of 8,000 spectators packed into Coubertin for the final day of the championship, Mathieu Chabert’s players secured their ticket to National, which will become League 3 from this summer.
A professional championship now, signaling a return to professional status for the Dragons after 22 years since 2004, when they were in National.
Against Saint-Maur, the Cannes team had to negotiate a tightly contested start to the match as the Francilians also had hopes of promotion with a win.
Choppy Encounter
Noc had the first big chance (14′), but his shot went over, before Ndoye was fouled in the area (17′).
Dominating the game, the azurians controlled the ball in the first half-hour without Saint-Maur having a shot on goal.
Rather than a beautiful game, the final matchday was a huge physical battle, with four yellow cards shown in the first half.
Just before half-time, AS Cannes thought they had scored with an improbable triple opportunity where Abbas, Ndoye, and Noc were imprecise on a cross.
Relief from a set piece
As soon as they returned from the break, Abbas’ cross found Smith’s head inside the six meters (47′).
It took a free-kick for Coubertin to erupt, as in the meantime, Nîmes Olympique, victorious over Limonest (2-3), was already leading 2-0.
After being pushed back for a while, the Dragons finally sealed the deal in similar fashion: a cross from the excellent Abbas to Noc’s victorious header (77′).
Coubertin could celebrate definitively: AS Cannes will return to the third division next August. But more importantly, they will return to the professional world, after being 7 points behind the league leader when Mathieu Chabert arrived in October.
A true rebirth for a French football monument, semi-finalist in the Coupe de France last year against Reims.
Coach’s Reaction
MATHIEU CHABERT (AS Cannes coach): “We are in League 3, it was a very tough step to take. N2 is a very difficult championship to master. The goal was to get promoted, we would have liked to do it earlier, but we started from very, very far. We got 50 points in 22 matches since I arrived, I don’t know if you realize how much of an achievement that is. The partnership we have with Djamal (Mohamed, the sports director) is truly exceptional. He didn’t make any mistakes in recruitment this winter. When I arrived, there was a calendar chart. I marked some matches with a cross, and the last one I marked was this one, against Saint-Maur. I knew that with 60 points, we would definitely go up. I am happy to put Cannes back in its place, because this club deserves it. Next season? There is no reason I won’t be at AS Cannes, I have an automatic contract extension. After that, you never know what offers may come, but there is no reason.”
