After defeating OL in the Semi-finals, Nantes has reached the finals of the Coupe de France for the second year in a row. Although the reigning champions are struggling in the league, they are smoothly sailing through the tournament. Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc spoke about the man of the match Ludovic Blas’ game-winning goal stating,
“We can sum up the match with a talented player made the difference. Nantes played with his qualities, physical, athletic. It is a matter of class that wins matches and it is the player with class who wins the match. Because Nantes played with his qualities. We’ve known them since last season. They give everything. Physically and athletically, they are very impressive. We don’t did not know how to avoid these duels, but the magic blow is a talented player who does it. I’m not saying that it makes me happy, but it’s always talent that wins a match or we lose it.”
While Blas’s 57-minute game-winning goal may have dashed OL’s hopes of ending the season with a trophy, it’s hard not to appreciate a moment of sheer “class”, especially in the Coupe de France semi-finals. However, as magical as the goal was, its impact on Lyon is completely opposite to the joy felt by Nantes. Les Gones will, unfortunately, now miss out on European football for another season, which is a massive blow to Laurent Blanc’s team. Whether it be the absence of additional revenues and the value that European competition can bring when pursuing transfer targets this loss had much more implications than ending their Coupe de France journey.
GFFN | Tony DesRois
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