A first trophy in a season that could become historic. Titillated for more than 45 minutes, the handball players from Brest finally won the Coupe de France by beating Nantes 37 to 33 on Saturday in Créteil. Three days after a confrontation which had largely turned to the advantage of the Brestoises in the league, the final of the Coupe de France took a completely different turn between these “Europeans”, Nantes having won the European League (small European Cup, C2) a week ago while Brest will play, for the first time in its history, the Final 4 of the Champions League (C1) in two weeks.

“I am very happy and very relieved to bring back a title this year for the club, for all the supporters.

It's really nice, ”commented at the microphone of the channel L'Équipe after the meeting the international goalkeeper of Brest Cleopatra Darleux, once again decisive at the end of the meeting.

Exhausted Nantes women

Saturday in Créteil, the Brestoises took the best start by escaping after ten minutes of five goals (9-4, 10th).

But Guillaume Saurina made his team go through an attacking game of seven outfielders against six, which allowed them to come back and hamper the Brestoises until the 45th minute.

A tactic that paid off, but very expensive in energy, that the physically blunt Nantes women paid for at the end of the match, they who were playing their seventh meeting in the space of three weeks.

A tactic that paid off, but very expensive in energy, that the physically blunt Nantes women paid for at the end of the match, they who were playing their seventh meeting in the space of three weeks.

“There are no regrets about the investment.

There are things on which we could have been more precise.

But we are on a chain of crazy: less than six days ago, we were in the Final 4 of the European League which took a lot of energy, we had to play Brest on Wednesday, and replay there again ”, underlined Camille Ayglon, proud of her team's career.

Championship final from Wednesday

In Brest, the pivot of the France team Pauletta Foppa and the Slovenian right-back Ana Gros were essential in attack with respectively 7 and 9 goals, while in the cage, Darleux made the decisive saves at the end of the match for take away all hope in Nantes.

For Coralie Lassource's teammates, this Coupe de France, the third in the history of the Brest club, is just the start of an exceptional fourteen-day sprint.

They will now focus on the final of the Women's League championship with a first leg on Wednesday in Metz and a return leg at home next Sunday.

Then, they will head to Budapest for their first Final 4 of the Champions League, with a semi-final against triple title holders, Györ, on Saturday 29 May.

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  • European Cup

  • French Cup

  • Nantes

  • Handball

  • Brest

  • Sport