Flashback: Rennes - Marseille in 1971

One thing is certain, Olympique de Marseille has never been looked at with indifference by the Breton public. And if one game has remained in the memory of the “Rouge et Noir”’s old supporters, it is certainly the game between the teams in the Coupe de France’s semi-final, on June 1st 1971. A look back at one of the greatest moments in Stade Rennes’ history

The road to the exploit

To reach the semi-final of France’s most prestigious competition, Jean Prouff’s players first eliminated the amateur club of Quevilly (4-1), before beating the Entente BFN [1] (2-0) in the Round of 32, before a difficult success over Mantes-la-Ville and finally a qualification against Monaco in the quarter-finals (defeat 0-2 in the principality, 4-0 victory in Rennes).
The Provence giant was next to stand in the road of the Stade Rennais, with two France champion titles (1937, 1948) and seven Coupe de France victories already to their name, looking like an ogre on SRFC’s road to success. Led by their star striker Josip Skoblar (44 goals during the regular season, the record is still holding), well on their way to win a third France champions title, Marseille coach Lucien Leduc announced his dream to manage a Championship-Cup double. Rennes’ players were warned, Marseille were not coming just for a walk in the park.

Before the two-legged tie, the circumstances brought Rennes to travel a first time to the Stade Vélodrome, just a few days before the first leg, as part of Ligue 1’s 34th game week. The “Rouge et Noir” were severely beaten (0-5, including four goals by Skoblar), but Jean Prouff had already decided then, what his priority would be for the Bretons’ end of the season.
Therefore, he decided to field a relooked team, starting with usual substitutes and changing the positions of several key-members of the team (defender René Cédolin started at midfield in order to confuse the Phocean opposition). Prouff announced himself after the game: “On Thursday, it will be completely different”. And indeed, four days only after receiving a thumping in the league and despite constant pressure from the 33 211 Marseille supporters present on the night, Rennes would offer a strong resistance to Marseille’s dream-team, only losing by the slightest of margins (1-0, with a goal of Skoblar), and keeping their chances to qualify for the final intact.

- May 18th, 1971 - SRFC (First leg) : Aubour - Cosnard, Cédolin, Chlosta, Cardiet - Garcia, Naumovic - Lenoir, Guy, Betta, Rico. (Manager : J. Prouff)

The semi-final had an outstandingly flavour to itself. The day before the clash, both Skoblar and Rico affirmed that “whoever would win in Rennes would end up lifting the trophy”. The encounter between the teams was promising an unprecedented show. The twenty-two players entered in a Stade de la Route de Lorient full to burst for the occasion, in the middle of an incredible atmosphere. A resounding “Ave Maria” welcomed the players onto the pitch. No less than 27 194 spectators [2] squeezed into the stands, on the roof of the various stands, or even on electric pylons for the most courageous of all. “There were people everywhere, they were even unfolding picnic table in front of the stands”, André Guy remembers.

An exploit was in the air. At the beginning of the game, the same André Guy was a whisker away from finding the net after a shot by Robert Rico was deflected on Escale’s post by an Olympian defender. After half an hour, Guy thought he had finally scored, but his goal wasn’t awarded by the referee, for an offside position of the Rennes striker. Two minutes later, alas, it was Marseille who scored against the run of play, through a goal by French international striker Charly Loubet, after a bad clearance by René Cédolin (31’).
Against the wall and forced to score twice [3], Rennes equalised just before the break. After a free-kick, Alain Cosnard deflected the ball with a header towards Guy, who didn’t think twice and pushed the ball at the second post (1-1). With one hour played, Rennes even managed to close the gap: on a counter-attack perfectly led, Betta was shoved in the penalty area but the action continued, and Keruzoré’s inch-perfect cross reached Guy, who scored once more with a header (2-1, 61’), sending the Stade de la Route de Lorient in a state of total euphoria.

The end of the game, and the two fifteen-minute extra-time periods wouldn’t separate the teams. For the first time in the club’s history, Stade Rennes was facing penalty shootouts (a brand new addition to the game, which replaced the heads or tail decision only a year earlier). Not a place for the cardiac. Rennes’ Pagnol-esque goalkeeper, Marcel Aubour, would excel in the exercise and betray his Provencal brothers.
He first saw Skoblar’s spot-kick, discontained by the goalkeeper’s aura, roll away from his goal, down the Mordelles stand, proving once more than all artists have got their weakness. On their side, Lenoir and Guy didn’t miss the target and gave a first advantage to the Breton club. Then Roger Magnusson, the “OM magician” also scored his penalty. Aubour then showed decisive in stopping Édouard Kula’s try, causing the over-excited Rennes fans to invade the pitch, not being used to this exercise and thinking the game was over.
M. Frauciel struggled to resume the session. And although André Betta also failed to convert his spot-kick that would have guaranteed victory for the « Rouge et Noir », Aubour was there, again, to parry Jean-Louis Hodoul’s, becoming the hero of Rennes’ qualification. The jubilant crowd invaded the pitch. Rennes’ stadium had just lived one of its most unforgettable nights. Marcel Aubour was carried in triumph by a pack of over-excited supporters. Three penalties to one of Rennes, and six years after their first victory, the Breton returned in the Coupe de France final. Nearly forty years later, the game played on June 1st, 1971, still remains the most achieved game by SRFC ever!

What they said

In terms of return on investment, André Guy was a superb affair for the SRFC. Remained less than a season with the “Rouge et Noir” (January to June 1971), he scored the only goal in the final against Lyon, “but also the two goals during the return leg against Marseille in the semi-final”, the former Rennes striker remembers. “In the first leg, at the Vélodrome, we had lost 1-0. In the return leg, Loubet had scored (31’) before I scored a header just before half-time”. André will forever be remembered as 1971’s providential goal scorer.
With two great games against Marseille, the SRFC opened the gates to the stadium of Colombes, which would see its last Coupe de France final. Everybody knows the happy ending of the story. “A great emotion”, remembered Jean Prouff, the coach at the time. At the end of the game, everybody was standing. After the game, the whole town was in celebration. In terms of style, it wasn’t a great game however”, commented a coach always in love with beautiful football.

Alain Cosnard, Rennes’ right back in 1971, also remembers this historic encounter very well: “In the semi-final, it was Marseille, and this is the biggest memory as Marseille was the French champion. To be able to knock them out over two games was something outstanding. And we had played a league game in Marseille only three days earlier the first cup game and lost 5-0. Jean Prouff had voluntarily players at positions they didn’t know. Marseille then won 1-0 on the first game but really struggled to beat us. The return leg in Rennes was incredible. People were in the tress, in the pylons, on the stands’ roofs, it was simply incredible. It was an epic game, we were trailing before half an hour was played, but we never lost our cool, we knew we would qualify. Jean Prouff was a true visionary, he had told us before the game that we would qualify by conceding first but then winning on penalties. We came back in the game logically, and our victory over the two games was logical".
il nous avait dit avant la rencontre que nous allions nous qualifier en prenant d’abord un but mais que nous passerions aux tirs au but. On est revenu logiquement à la marque et la victoire sur l’ensemble des deux matches fut logique".

Match Facts

Rennes 2 - 1 Marseille (3-1 pen.)
Coupe de France, Semi-final, return leg
Tuesday, June 1st 1971

Stade de la route de Lorient
Attendance: 27 194 spectators

Goals: Guy (44’ and 61’) for Rennes ; Loubet (31’) for Marseille

Penalties :
Lenoir (1-0)
Skoblar (off target, 1-0)
Guy (2-0)
Magnusson (2-1)
Chlosta (3-1)
Kula (stopped by Aubour, 3-1)
Betta (off target, 3-1)
Hodoul (stopped by Aubour, 3-1)

- Stade rennais : Aubour - Cosnard, Cédolin, Chlosta, Cardiet - Garcia, Naumovic - Guy, Keruzoré (then Lenoir), Betta, Rico. (Manager : J. Prouff)

- Olympique de Marseille : Escale - Lopez, Hodoul - Zvunka, Kula, Novi - Gress (then Leclercq), Bonnel, Magnusson, Skoblar - Loubet. (Manager. : L. Leduc)

Sources :
- http://staderennais.le-site.info
- Archives Ouest France
- om4ever.com
- « Le Stade rennais, fleuron du football breton » de Claude Loire, Ed. Apogée.

- Photos :
- srfc.frenchwill.fr
- om4ever.com