At the final whistle, all his teammates and then the Paris FC staff come to fall into the arms of Obed Nkambadio. The international hopeful who lost his starting place in goal to Kevin Trapp, was the hero of the incredible qualification of the current 15th in Ligue 1. The 22-year-old goalkeeper managed no less than seven decisive saves to keep the Paris FC attackers in check. In a Parc des Princes which fell silent, we could hear more than the Paris FC parking lot, although relieved of the Ultras, singing. The players come to celebrate with them.
On the ground, President Pierre Ferracci is overjoyed. There was undoubtedly emotion among owner Antoine Arnault, a PSG supporter since the age of 12 and a regular, until his purchase of Paris FC, of the Parc’s presidential basket. After the promotion to Ligue 1 last May, this qualification on the field of the European champion is the second feat of glory for this PFC, Arnault-Red Bull family version.
“I hope this victory will boost us for the future”
As for the supporters, it was ecstasy. “It’s completely crazy, the whole world is going to talk about Paris FC, we eliminated the best team in the world! It’s as strong as the climb to L1. My son Owen is crying with joy and I am on the verge of orgasm,” Olivier, who has followed the club since its creation in 1969, tells us.
In the locker room, the players shouted and sang. “We celebrated, we are happy and we are going home,” smiles scorer Jonathan Ikoné, trained at PSG who did not celebrate his goal. “I was super happy but I have to respect the club which gave me everything,” continues Ikoné who had scored a hat-trick (3-0) at Raon-l’Étape (R1) in the previous round.
Apart from this Vosges amateur team on December 20, Paris FC had not won since November 1 in Monaco (1-0). “We’ve been in a somewhat dark series for a long time,” recognizes Ilan Kebbal. This victory will do us good mentally. Of course, we sang a little but we must quickly get back on track for the championship. We are not well in the standings and we play Nantes on Sunday, a direct competitor for maintenance. This will be the most important match of the week. »
Returning Sunday evening from a frustrating CAN where he only played 11 minutes with Algeria, Kebbal made his appearance at half-time. He was at the origin of the goal and we were able to realize the importance he had in Stéphane Gilli’s system. “We had to be compact because they have incredible players and steal them on the 2-3 chances we had,” continues Kebbal. We had some success and a great Obed in goal. He saved us. »
“We had a great goalkeeper,” says Ikoné. Against such a team, you have to give your all and know how to put the ball in the back when you have the opportunity. The championship match where we lost 2-1 also helped us. I hope that this victory will be a foundational match which will boost us for the future. »
“We are not going to get carried away and burst into flames”
With a team weakened by the departures of five players for the CAN and injuries like that of Pierre Lees-Melou, we promised hell to this Paris FC during the two derbies. But he comes out rather exhilarated and Stéphane Gilli strengthened in his choices. But in football, the balance remains fragile. This qualification, as prestigious and symbolic as it is (Paris FC had never beaten PSG in 46 years), will have been of no use if there is no confirmation in Nantes and against Angers, two crucial matches for maintenance. But with a renewed mentality, players returning from the CAN and the reinforcements who will arrive – the Italian international hopeful Luca Koleosho has already made an interesting first entry – all hopes seem possible.
“This evening, I am proud and happy with the values that this team showed even if we suffered in the last 20 minutes,” underlines Stéphane Gilli. Compared to the L1 match, I asked them to play more. We rewatched the match, I showed them what we had good and we used it. We went for this success. These two matches against PSG, the best team in the world, must show us that when everyone works together, is involved, we are capable of achieving great things. I’m delighted for Obed, I have confidence in him, he had a good reaction. I am happy for the club, our shareholders and our supporters. But we are still very far from PSG… We are not going to get carried away and get fired up. I expect an even better performance in Nantes. This is where we will see if we have really progressed. »
