One week has passed in an ordinary season. And the example comes from the top. Thinking about this Cannes-Goal FC match this Friday, it was impossible to ignore the current atmosphere. And the fresh memory of the 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 better strike when the best take on their responsibilities, it was a reminder of how football is primarily a story of players who decide to be the protagonists of their own destiny.
So, days after such a celebration of the game, it is necessary to return to the immediate present, in National 2, with the hope of experiencing a match that may not be as baroque but carries a particular expectation, because the end is near. For everyone. Here, the Cannes-Goal FC duel.
Mathieu Chabert (coach of AS Cannes): “If we win on Friday night, we will be in first place”
Honoring the Azur hosts, first. Cannes missed its appointment in Nîmes last week (3-0 loss), in unexpected proportions, without its supporters. Incomprehensible. And this Friday, when entering their Coubertin field to face Goal FC, they have two points to make up for in order to reclaim their leadership position, and put pressure on Nîmes, who play tomorrow in Andrézieux.
The stakes are in the mind of Azur coach, Mathieu Chabert, reminding everyone that anything is possible, with three matches to go. Thus, returning from Nîmes last weekend, the AS Cannes coach was quite insightful about his team’s failure in Gard.
To better focus on the visit of resistant Goalois. He stated the following, expressing resilience when it’s time to bounce back: “We didn’t play the right match in Nîmes. We were beaten. There’s not even any regret because we were so off. It was one of the finals for promotion. There are still three matches left. Now, we will be in the position of hunters. If we win on Friday night, we will be in first place. We need to apply the pressure once again.”
And that sets the stage for a meeting that many Lyon fans will follow with keen interest, especially because of the presence of a former Calais player, number 10 Maxime Blanc, who remains a rare pleasure to watch.
Maxime Blanc: “We fear Goal FC, because after their first match, they will want to take revenge at our home”
And the leader of AS Cannes, who has experienced the atmosphere of springs where promotion is on everyone’s mind, knows how these final steps, in these circumstances, are full of pitfalls. “We fear Goal FC, because after their first match, they will want to take revenge at our home,” Blanc recalled, anticipating his reunion with a team from this 69 department that remains his adopted land.
At the first match, Goal FC was effectively defeated by a margin (0-5) which spoke of the desert they went through in January, after flirting with the top of the standings. Since then, much has changed for both teams. A lingering question remains: how will these two teams reunite after the extraordinary first match which was completely dominated by Cannes?
If Goal FC still needs to earn one or two points to secure their maintenance operation, the task in Cannes this Friday seems daunting for the group of coach Pierre Thimonier, a tactician who does not often mince words.
Pierre Thimonier (Goal FC coach): “We may face a storm”
Before heading south, Thimonier confirmed our impressions about the expected imbalance between the two teams. “I would have preferred they win against Nîmes,” confessed the Goal FC coach, sounding more concerned than ever. “We may face a storm. We will need to fight hard at their home ground, with all their supporters behind them. They will want to redeem themselves.”
Fresh in memory, his team managed to snatch a disappointing draw (1-1) on the final whistle against Hyères last Saturday. This time, any slow start will have to be avoided, because the opponent is playing for their season.
Thimonier warned, “We will need a real desire 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 stumbled in a match. I think, facing us, the reaction will be crucial.” The scene is set for an extraordinary match in a season finale that is just as intriguing. A special moment for everyone.
Friday, May 1st, 28th matchday of National 2, Group C. In Cannes, at 6 pm, at Pierre de Coubertin Stadium, AS Cannes (2nd) hosts Goal FC (9th). Officiated by Mr. Chamel.
AS Cannes squad: Aymes, Vanni, Corchia, Gueho, Smith, Mambu, Abderrahmane, Gonçalves, Caumont, Blanc, Ndoye, Almike, Doumbouya, Abbas, Morgan, Gerbeaud, Noc, Oggad.
Goal FC squad: Marsella, Coulibaly, Dariot, Dedola, Maoulida, Ndiaye, Bargain, Gharbi, Dufau, Bendaoud, Meftahi, Allegret, Diallo, Lemoine, Dramé, Djedid.
