In addition to the 31st day of Ligue 1 and the 32nd of the anteroom, this second weekend in April was also synonymous with the semi-finals of the Gambardella Cup, with three elite teams represented: the Stade Rennais, which moved on the lawn of the Stade Malherbe de Caen, and a duel between Olympique Lyonnais and ESTAC. The challenge of these two encounters: a final to be played on May 7 as a boost to another final, that of the Coupe de France between OGC Nice and FC Nantes.
To get there, the four teams experienced the same success, but not the same scenarios, during the quarter-finals of this tournament reserved for under-19s. Indeed, if OL had mastered their reception of RC Strasbourg Alsace (2-0) , SM Caen had to wait until the end of the match to get rid of Lyon-La Duchère, who played the first quarter of their history. Troyes and Rennes, for their part, had shown more confidence during their respective successes at home against Ajaccio (3-1) and on Bobigny’s field (4-0).
Caen at the end of the suspense, Lyon as boss
In the Michel-d’Ornano stadium, Rennes and Caen went one by one this Sunday. The Normans first counted two lengths ahead. Belgian Norman Bassette opened the score with a corner from Mohamed Hafid (1-0, 16th), before Diabé Bolumbu doubled the lead after a combination with the same Hafid (2-0, 25th). But thanks to Jérémy Jacquet (2-1, 33rd) and Djaoui Cissé (2-2, 38th), the Bretons managed to take the break before half time. In the second act, the indestructible Mathys Tel thought to give the victory to Rennes (2-3, 74th), but it was without counting on … Norman Bassette, goalscorer on penalty (3-3, 80th). At the end of the penalty shootout, it was the Caennais who burst their joy after the failure of Aaron Malouda (3-3, 5-3 on pins).
At the Gérard-Houiller Stadium, the main field of the Groupama training center, OL – Troyes also had a fair share of entertainment. It was the Trojans who opened the scoring, in front of an audience committed to the cause of Les Gones. It was captain Rudy Kohon who cut a corner with his head (0-1, 10th). OL turned the tide thanks to centre-back Mamadou Sarr, header from a free kick by Mohamed El Arouch (1-1, 36th) and a penalty by… El Arouch, converted by Yannis Lagha (2-1 , 40th). In the second act, OL flew away thanks to Breyton Fougeu, looking for a corner that was hit by Mohamed El Arouch (3-1, 57th). Lyon goalkeeper Mathieu Patouillet saved a Trojan penalty (79th) and OL managed to take their lead.
