Attendance 150, referee : Jean-Marc Salza, assistants Amaury Delerue & Jean Parvedy
RED STAR 93 : Bruneau, Pendola (Gomes-Varéla), R. Gomis, Guidali, Perron, Guérin, Soumaré, Busuttil (N'Goma), Dagnogo, A. Gomis, Saïti. Sub : Sarrea. Coach : J.L. Girard
ROBBED
No, not Red Star for once, but La Chapelle will have to spend Christmas rueing over how they could have had at least a share of the points, if not the full quota. If the match was to be awarded on points, then the visitors would have been streets in advance. Then again football is all about putting the ball into the back of the net, something that La Chapelle are not very good at.
On a hard icy surface, the game was played into the teeth of a biting cold wind. Straight away the visitors took the initiave, but Bruneau wasn't really threatened. Red Star got back into the game and for a period took the upper hand, which culminated in the lively Soumaré provoking a hapless defender into turning a low hard cross into his own goal (1-0).
From the restart La Chapelle monopolised the ball, a situation which was to last until the very last minute. Unfortunately for them, the Troyens' attacks seem to peter out in the last twenty metres or so. We saw many incidences of slick passing and movements, let down by some truly woeful finishing. Vincent Guérin offered us the spectacle of a thrusting run forwards, but Red Star also seemd to have acquired the habit of failing to put the ball away or to ruin the move with a lack of the decisive final pass. Enis Saïti was one of the guilty ones for this.
Just after the break Guérin waved a foot at a hopeful punt forwards - the ball sailed past, and with only Bruneau to beat, the La Chapelle striker panicked, having seen his name already plastered over the back page of tomorrows' papers. His shot sailed high over the bar of the untroubled Red Star goalkeeper.
After that Red Star were rarely threatened, despite the referee awarding a series of twenty-five metre free-kicks on the edge of their area. Finally, with the seconds ticking away, Soumaré held the ball up by the corner flag surrounded by three La Chapelle defenders. A slick drop of the shoulder and he was past, only to be bundled over in the penalty area. No doubt in the referees' mind, a penalty which was confidently fired home by Arthur GOMIS (2-0).
Four crucial points to Red Star, disappointment for La Chapelle. They need a good striker, that's for sure. For Red Star Perron and Guidali were excellent in defence, Pendola lively and Soumaré a handful. Up front Moussa did the holding job once performed by Arthur Gomis, leaving the latter free to score the goals and create danger. Vincent Guérin has really started to find his feet in the side and for the demands of the CFA. However Enis Saïti had an excellent first half only to disappear from sight in the second. Kalu N'Goma replaced the injured Busuttil, and performed some excellent work in midfield - a sort of Patrick Viera of the CFA !
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