The joy of Nantes on the third goal of Bamba.

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JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP

  • Small event, FC Nantes won (1-3) in Angers this Sunday after sixteen games without a win.

  • The Canaries had a thunderous start to the game with two goals in the first six minutes.

  • For his first on the bench, Antoine Kombouaré has therefore succeeded.

From our special correspondent in Angers

They had not shouted a cry of victory in the locker room since November 8 and a success in Lorient (0-2).

An eternity.

"It feels good, but it should not be an isolated victory ...", immediately tempered goalkeeper Alban Lafont after the success (1-3) of the Canaries in Angers this Sunday.

History will remember that Antoine Kombouaré won his first match on the FCN bench.

As he had done on October 19, 2019 when he arrived in Toulouse before losing ten consecutive matches, being sacked in January and seeing Téfécé relegated to L2 a few weeks later ...

Far from us wanting to play the birds of bad omen for the Nantes supporters obviously.

Especially since what the FCN has shown in Anjou in terms of "desire, solidarity, self-sacrifice", in Lafont's words, has nothing to do with the last outings of the Canaries.

Very demonstrative Kombouaré in front of his bench

Nantes achieved "an exceptional start to the match" for Antoine Kombouaré, leading 0-2 after six minutes of play. Ludovic Blas shifted Moses Simon, full of composure for the opening of the scoring (4th), then provoked a penalty two minutes later.

A Blas finally symbol of this realistic Nantes (3 shots on target, 3 goals) offensively and defensively concentrated with a Castelletto, very vigilant.

“It's not because we won today that I was right,” says Kombouaré.

On the other hand, it allows the players to find serenity, confidence.

I am super happy with their performance.

They showed that they were not afraid.

The revolt is not linked to my presence, but to the fact that they have realized that they are capable of doing whatever it takes to win… ”

Kanak is modest, but his choices (leaving Pallois on the bench and leaving Touré, responsible for the penalty scored by Angers, just before the break), his vociferations, his encouragement and his admonitions on the edge of the lawn are perhaps not not foreign to the Nantes revival.

“He gives us a lot of energy and we needed that, confesses Alban Lafont, very good in the air this Sunday.

He is a coach who communicates a lot in the locker room and on the pitch during the match.

”An attitude which necessarily contrasts with the passivity of Raymond Domenech's latest ...

It was better to win for Nantes…

Nevertheless, the FCN is still "sick", dixit Kombouaré.

His propensity to retreat to 0-2, to suffer very strongly at the start of the second half (Boufal hit the crossbar in the 50th) and his inability to produce sharp streaks on the offensive level attest to this.

Bamba, perfectly served by Blas again, killed the suspense just four minutes from the end (86th).

“I don't know if we can talk about metamorphosis,” concludes Lafont.

We especially showed that when everyone is at 100%, it can do great things.

We must not trivialize the success, it is a very beautiful victory which does a lot of good.

I hope this is a click that will tip us on the right side.

"

In terms of classification, it especially allows Nantes not to see the top teams like Strasbourg and Saint-Etienne, victorious, and Lorient, author of a good draw in Monaco, take too wide, and keep Nîmes, victorious (0-2) in Dijon, at the same distance (4 points ahead with one more match).

"It's a little respite, that's all ...", moderates Antoine Kombouaré, already turned towards the reception of Marseille on Saturday.

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