The 2008 Gambardella Cup Victory
La joie des jeunes rennais Photo Fédération française de football Following the victorious campaigns in 1973 and 2003, the Stade Rennais wins a third Gambardella Cup (U19's National Cup), with a generation including the likes of Samuel Souprayen, Damien Le Tallec, Yacine Brahimi and Yann M'vila. A suspenseless final against Bordeaux (3-0) came to reward a spotless journey, in a competition where the Rennes youth did not concede a single goal but squeezed through the Penalty shootout lottery in two occasions.
Route to the Final
- Round of 128 : Mondeville 0 - 4 Stade Rennais (Goals: Brahimi, Lasimant (2) & Camara)
- Round of 64 : Angers 0 - 0 Stade Rennais, 4-5 pen.
- Round of 32 : Stade Rennais 0 - 0 Niort, 4-3 pen.
- Round of 16 : Santes 0 - 9 Stade Rennais (Goals : Le Tallec (5), Lasimant (2), Brahimi & M’Vila)
- Quarter-finals : Lyon 0 - 1 Stade Rennais (Goal : Le Tallec)
- Semi-finals : Stade Rennais 2 - 0 Strasbourg (Goals : Lasimant & Le Tallec)
- Final : Stade Rennais 3 - 0 Bordeaux (buts : M’Laab, M’Vila & Le Tallec)
Players involved in the Competition
- Goalkeepers: Aurélien-Emmanuel Hérisson and Florent Petit
- Defenders: Guillaume Heinry, Maxime Le Marchand, David Louhoungou, Gilbert Manier, Giovanni Oliveri, Samuel Souprayen and Kévin Théophile-Catherine
- Midfielders : Yacine Brahimi, Gaëtan Caro, Yann M’Vila and Vincent Pajot
- Forwards : Abdoul Razzagui Camara, Frank Julienne, Yohann Lasimant, Damien Le Tallec, Hicham M’Laab and Yoan Pivaty
The Final : Match Details
Stade Rennais 3 - 0 Girondins de Bordeaux
Coupe Gambardella, Final
Saturday, May 24th 2008, Saint-Denis
- Goals : M’Laab (21’), M’Vila (30’) and Le Tallec (76’) for the Stade Rennais
- Stade Rennais : Petit - Théophile-Catherine, Louhoungou, Souprayen (cap), Le Marchand - M’Vila, Pajot, Brahimi (Caro, 77’) - Lasimant, Le Tallec (Pivaty, 86’), M’Laab (Camara, 64’).
- Girondins de Bordeaux : Meslien - Esor, Lasne (cap), Gaston (Seck, 66’), Saunier, Blonbou, Krychowiak, Sertic, Saivet, Insou (Gueye, 60’), Obertan.
Game Summary
Five years after the generation led by the Briand, Bourillon, Faty and Gourcuff, the Stade Rennais won the Gambardella Cup for the third time in their history, outclassing the Girondins de Bordeaux in the Final at the Satde de France (3-0).
Along their captain, Samuel Souprayen, the Rennes youth (born in 1989 and 1990) won fearlessly against Bordeaux, despite the presence of Gabriel Obertan in the Girondins squad (26 games in Ligue 1 during the season).
A highly united team, imposing an aggressive and constant pressing, Rennes didn’t give the Girondins a chance to enter in the game. By half-time, they had made a decisive difference. On the 21st minute, Damien Le Tallec received a wide ball and temporised before passing to Yacine Brahimi. The playmaker kept the defence on guard and served Hicham M’Laab twenty meters from the goal. M’Laab then dribbled his opponent to shoot on Meslin’s top-corner (1-0)
Nine minutes later, the Stade Rennais extended their lead. The Bordeaux defence cleared their area after a corner, only to see M’Vila control on the thirty meters lines before striking a powerful shot in Meslien’s goal (2-0).
Keeping their focus, Rennes kept on imposing their game against a lacklustre Bordeaux team. Following a run on the right wing, Yohann Lasimant cross met Damien Le Tallec’s header for a third goal sealing the victory, fifteen minutes before the final whistle (3-0, 76’).
The undisputed victory came to cap a flawless journey by the Stade Rennais in this Coupe Gambardella 2008, in which they scored 19 goals in 7 matches without conceding. However, it should not forgotten that the young “Rouge et Noir” were close to the exit in both the Round of 64 and the Round of 32, winning these two ties on the penalty shootout lottery.
Reactions
Laurent Huard :
“We tried to prepare this match as any other game. In the first 10 minutes, both teams seemed slightly uptight, but we took the edge progressively. We show maturity and a very good ability to play as a team. We were widely superior to our opponent on the night. Our aim was to be as solid as we had been over the season and enjoy the occasion; the three goals we scored tend to prove it. It wasn’t always easy, but we eventually managed to create a real team. This success rests on a real collective work. It will remain a great memory, and we’d like to thank all the club’s members who made the journey to the Stade de France”.
Patrick Rampillon :
“There is a satisfaction in the content, and an immense joy in the club and among those who worked towards this success. It’s a great reward to the players and members of staff. It was a great achievement to win this competition, and I hope to see several of these players play in Ligue 1 over the years to come. I hope they will remember this experience and use it as a base towards the very high level.”
Abdoul Razzagui Camara :
“It’s immense. It’s the outcome of years of work. Today, we had a very strong team. I felt under pressure during the coach’s speech. It was already vanished when I entered the pitch. We dominated the first half and secured the game with two goals. The third came naturally. We’re also very proud, as we didn’t concede a goal during the competition”.
Maxime Le Marchand :
“We managed to score early enough. After that, we were determined to keep the edge on the game. On the first place, we were a bit tense but this is normal in such a stadium. It wasn’t easy but we managed to stay in control of the game anyway. When we started playing, we did not feel the pressure anymore. This game will remain a huge memory.”
Damien Le Tallec :
“I could not wait to play this final. We started better than Bordeaix. We managed to score the first goal, and the goals kept on coming. We deserved this victory. Winning a trophy in the Stade de France is an amazing feeling.”
Yacine Brahimi :
“It is an immense pleasure to win this final, especially in the Stade de France. With the rest of the team, we really enjoyed our game. Myself, I had an amazing time on the pitch. On this game, there was no discussion. The 3-0 victory is deserved. It really is the victory of all a group.”
Florent Petit :
“Right now, I can’t really realise what happens to us. To win a Coupe Gambardella in the Stade de France, it really is impressive. The team had a great game, and I did not have much to do. Not conceding a goal in the whole competition is a great satisfaction. We kept on improving all through the Gambardella.”
Hicham M’Laab :
“We manage to build each other’s confidence. As far as I’m concerned, I’m happy to have scored but the most important was to win. The most important is the team. We used the individualities to bring the team forward. We understood game after game, what the foundations of a real team should be.”
On a réussi à se mettre en confiance mutuellement. Pour ma part, c’est bien d’avoir marqué mais le plus important c’est la victoire. C’est le collectif qui compte avant tout. On a mis les individualités de côté et on les a mis au service de l’équipe. Au fur et à mesure de la compétition, on a compris ce qu’était les fondamentaux d’une équipe ».