After Nancy, Carquefou have taken the scalp of yet another L1 side, beating OM, in the last 16 of the Coupe de France.
There just wasn’t enough time. For a long time we pinched ourselves to see if we weren’t dreaming. For long moments of time we thought that the bad dream was going to end. That what was going on was not possible, not even thinkable. Minute after minute, as each Marseille attack was foiled by the courageous amateurs of Carquefou, the exploit took form. Right up until the lap of honour run by the local team which cast in stone OM’s elimination.
A pure moment of theatre. The world turned on it’s head by a group of players that put in the performance of their lives defending the lead for 83 minutes after taking the advantage eaely on in the game.
N’Doye, following a pass behind Faty and Zubar, got to the ball before Carrasso and slid the ball into the empty net (1-0). Despite some excitement in the Carquefou box Eric Gerets’s men were not able to get back into the game. They suffered against a team that has already knocked out 2 professional clubs, Gueugnon (L2) and more importantly Nancy in the last round.
That which makes a beautiful story in the Coupe de France, made OM’s night terrible on Wednesday. « Logically we should concede about 6 », insisted Denis Renaud, the Carquefou coach, the day before the game.
With a difference of 4 divisions between the two clubs there could be no happy surprise for Marseille. If there was going top be a surprise it could only be a bad one, it was and it didn’t take long coming about.
Carquefou didn’t score a scrappy goal at the end of stoppage time. OM had the time to see their defeat coming and to stop it.
You would even have thought it was a handicap for Carquefou to score so early on in the contest. That OM’s reaction would be even stronger because of it. But N’Doye’s goal in the 7th minute resisted everything thrown at it. The movement down the wings, the play of the midfielders and the fullbacks, the long balls, the crosses that were picked out of the air by the impeccable keeper Joinel and the fresh legs that came on at half time in the shape of Grandin and Cana. There was nothing to be done
As always lady luck was there to have her say in proceedings. At the end of the first half she was there when Samir Nasri hit his half volley over the bar after delightfully controlling the ball. When, just moments later, Djibril Cissé missed the target after a cross from Akalé.
Afterwards it was all one way traffic, with Cedric Carrasso, starting for the first time since his injury in the summer, only able to watch frustrated the clock tick down.
Sticking to their men well, the Carquefou players did not allow OM to develop their game. Full of energy and transported by proceedings, they sent shivers of excitement flying through the crowd at the Beaujoire that seemed to be reliving some of its more prestigious moments. They also sent cold shivers down the backs of Eric Gerets’s men as the final whistle approached. Joinel was unbeatable in goal. As shown, amongst others, by his save at the feet of Grandin (67th) and his numerous interventions in the air.
A new page was written into the legend of the Coupe de France. OM were left to lick their wounds. « We have to put the defeat behind us. It’s quite an alarm bell that has been sounded. Already after the game against Saint-Petersburg things were starting to come out. After tonight we will have to be more aware and play out what is left of our season with a maximum of vigilance and effort fromeverybody.», declared Pape Diouf.
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