In every achievement there is always a hero. This Monday evening, it was Obed Nkambadio, the Paris FC goalkeeper, who lost his starting place to Kevin Trapp a month and a half ago but was lined up for this Coupe de France match where he shone, making seven decisive saves.
As Stéphane Gilli had promised, Paris FC sought to play more than during the Ligue 1 match last Sunday (2-1). He had aligned the same system in 5-4-1. But the promoted side, currently 15th in Ligue 1, still suffered a lot, particularly on the sides where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola often tormented Tuomas Ollila and Nhoa Sangui in the first period. And as expected, Obed Nkambadio was in great demand.
A feverishness which cost him his starting place
The 22-year-old goalkeeper, international hopeful and silver medalist at the 2024 Olympics, was inevitably expected. The Ile-de-France resident, who grew up in Seine-Saint-Denis, is experiencing a special first part of the season. On the momentum of the rise to L 1, he was reinforced as a starter despite the arrival of Kevin Trapp. His start to the championship had been rather good, including an exceptional performance in Brest in mid-September.
In the end, he brought in more points than he lost. But over the weeks, he showed some signs of feverishness, particularly on his outings. Stéphane Gilli changed his strategy and decided to put his goalkeepers in competition and install Kevin Trapp as starter. If Nkambadio played on November 29 against Auxerre, it was because Trapp had to forfeit the morning of the match. Not necessarily in the best psychological conditions, Nkambadio was guilty of the Auxerre equalizer (1-1).
Not always very academic, but effective
But confirming that Trapp is now the holder, Nkambadio is therefore lined up in the Coupe de France. In the first half, he preserved the score by deflecting Barcola’s center shot (22nd) with a nice tap. If he then misses his header, he recovers well by relaxing perfectly on Ramos’ lob attempt (24th). After poor control on a back pass where he stupidly conceded a corner (39th), he was still present on Kvaratskhelia’s shot (45th + 1) then the Georgian’s strong cross at the start of the second half (50th).
After a poor recovery from his defense, Nkambadio repels a 20m strike from Ramos (56th) after failing to be blocked on his clearance (54th). Not always very academic in his style, he intervenes with his foot on Warren Zaire-Emery’s attempt (61st). After a ball lost by Otavio, his show continues with a duel won against Ousmane Dembélé (70th).
The best match of his (young) career
Thanks to its goalkeeper in a state of grace, Paris FC held off the shock. After Ikoné opened the score, PSG then pushed, but the Paris FC defense showed solidarity to preserve the score. Nkambadio even had the baraka by being saved by the bar on a cross from Zaire-Emery (87th).
Ratings of PFC players against PSG:
Chestnut: 8.5.
blood 5, 5.
Mbow: 6.
Kolodziejczak: 7.
Octavio: 6.
Olila: 3 (replaced by De Smet 5).
Cafaro: 4.
Camara: 6,5.
M. Lopez: 6.
Gory: 5. (replaced by Ikoné 6).
Geubbels: 5. Replaced by Kebbal 6)
The seven minutes of additional time are endless with a final thrill on a header from Doué (90th + 6). But Nkambadio, who offers himself a final tap on a strike from Vitinha (90th + 7), and Paris FC held on. When the whistle blew, his teammates and the goalkeeping coach, Mickäel Boully, could fall into his arms. He undoubtedly had the best match of his young career.
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