A monumental feat. FC Fleury 91 qualified for the first Coupe de France final in its history by beating OL at home in Lyon (0-0, 5-4 on the tabs). A reward for Fabrice Abriel, the coach of the Ile-de-France club for three seasons. And above all, a new step taken after two defeats in a row in the semi-finals, against PSG in 2022, and against these same Lyonnaises last season.
How do you feel after this qualification?
FABRICE ABRIEL. Pride. It’s the result of a lot of work. After experiencing two consecutive eliminations in the semi-finals, the objective was to take a step forward. We have even more merit in having beaten the Lyonnaises. Even if, as I told the players during the talk, we shouldn’t say that we were playing OL, but that we were playing a semi-final.
Despite the opposing domination, you never lowered your head, this illustrates the resilience of this group…
The complexity of this match was to defend well, while gaining the upper hand in the balance of power. The second half went by so quickly. Lyon had the ball but didn’t create a lot of chances, then he had a big highlight. I made my changes at this time.
How did you approach this match tactically?
We started in a hybrid system, with a 5-man defense which could evolve into a 4-3-3. Inès Jaurena played as a sentinel and went from central to midfielder. With the intelligence she has, she did it very well. But, after a quarter of an hour, I fixed the team in 4-3-3. I no longer found consistency in this system.
Cholé N’Gazi also had a great match, notably with two shots on goal saved…
With Alexy Kastelyn, the goalkeeping coach, we share the roles. We know that with this or that scheme, that with this or that scenario, a situation can be favorable to one of our goalkeepers. Last week in the championship, Chloé did not start. We make our choices based on what we consider most appropriate to win.
Is this qualification for the final the fair reward for all your work?
Between the first day of a season and the very last, only one thing interests me: what did you learn, what did you like? It was our third Coupe de France semi-final in a row, but not for all the players. Some discover. They will play a final for their first season! But this is all a result of our preparation. That’s why I don’t jump to the ceiling, because I don’t have the feeling of having achieved something exceptional. For me, it’s the logical next step.
