Nancy cheered by final chance
Thursday, February 9, 2006
Article summary
AS Nancy-Lorraine will be hoping to defeat OGC Nice in a major final for the second time when the sides meet at the Stade de France on 22 April.
Article body
Barren spell
Apart from three Ligue 2 titles, in 1989/90, 1997/98 and 2004/05, Nancy's solitary piece of silverware came in that French Cup success in 1978 when a goal at the Parc des Princes from Michel Platini, then 23, proved decisive for the eastern side. That triumph came only eleven years after the club's formation, but further major honours have so far eluded them.
Cup consistency
Nancy, who won promotion back to the French top flight last summer after five seasons away, set up another meeting with Nice, this time at the Stade de France in the League Cup final, by defeating FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, FC Lorient and AC Ajaccio, all at home and all by the same 1-0 scoreline. Pablo Correa's team continued their superb cup form in the semi-finals, overcoming Le Mans at the Stade Marcel Picot.
Spectacular solo strike
Lying 13th in Ligue 1, Nancy scored just before half-time thanks to Jonathan Brison's fine angled drive before defender Manuel Da Costa's stunning individual goal on 64 minutes made the game safe. After skipping past several desperate challenges from Le Mans defenders, Da Costa finished his superb run with a sweet finish past Olivier Sorin.
Da Costa disbelief
"It was crazy," said a delighted Da Costa, who is a product of the Nancy academy and had only played four games for the first team before last night. "No one was marking me so I decided to go straight for goal. I ignored where the goal was - usually my shots go wide. When I saw it was in I just couldn't believe it."
Correa pride
Correa, who at 38 is the youngest coach working in Ligue 1, added: "We have shown with Da Costa and some others that we can succeed with our young players. As a coach I do this job for moments like that on the bench. I know many more experienced managers will never have the chance to take their team to a final."
Higher hopes
At the beginning of the season, Nancy's aim was simply to maintain their newly-acquired top-flight status, but now a place in next season's UEFA Cup is within their grasp, with only Nice standing in their way. For a club whose only previous foray into Europan competition was ended by Servette FC in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round, that would represent a remarkable achievement.
