Mastery without the ball
After a break due to a sprained ankle, during which Royce Openda and Steve Shamal brilliantly took over, the Gironde center forward (four goals in three days in October) restarted his counter by calmly converting his first and last opportunity of the evening (10th). As usual, we can now say, goalkeeper Jan Hoekstra achieved the feat needed to preserve his team, with a reflex save in front of Giacomini in the second half (56th). Individualities that make the difference in areas of truth and, basically, a once again impeccable state of mind: it’s not always pretty, but it’s a recipe that often allows you to go far. “In our game plan, there is having control with the ball and having control without the ball,” said coach Bruno Irles.
This Saturday was therefore exclusively the second, with efforts and application in the organization which allowed the best defense in the group to achieve a sixth clean sheet over the last nine days (seven wins, two draws). The wingers Bahassa and Openda ended up with cramps, the Grillot-Droehnle hinge made multiple sacrifices. “The players see that even with a deficit in preparation compared to our opponent, with absentees (El Hajjam and Etonde suspended, Ba injured), we are capable of bringing back points,” says Bruno Irles.
“We manage to adapt”
Will this be enough over time? No, but the Girondins will not come across a team every week that is as technically sharp and in their movements as that of the Bayonnais. Knowing the propensity of Ciel et Blanc to defend “very high and one on one”, they had the desire “to suck them up and play behind their backs”, said Soufiane Bahassa. It worked on goal, it almost (successfully) gave them the break before the break if Openda had not won a face-to-face. It was (much) more complicated afterwards but the outcome resembled success over another rival, La Roche-sur-Yon, in October (3-0), or in Lorient (2-0). Since then, the Bordelais have also been able to thwart the low blocks of Chauray (1-0) or Dinan-Lehon (2-0), returning to the disheveled match in Montlouis (2-2). “We manage to adapt,” remarks Bahassa.
With 30 points before another kind of test (more athletic and experienced) next Saturday at Herbiers to finish the first legs, the Girondins have made half the way to Ligue 3. In a ranking to be put into perspective with the late matches of La Roche-sur-Yon and Herbretais as well as the wait for the verdict on appeal (suspensive) of the match won on the green carpet for Angoulême in Poitiers, they are however putting pressure on the pursuers.
“We know that it will be competitive, that we will have other matches like tonight. We have nine victories, we need 20 to get this first place,” says Bruno Irles. One less should even be enough.
