Roazhon Park has not been kind to the youth teams this season. Following the U18s’ elimination in the Gambardella semi-finals last weekend, it was the turn of Sébastien Tambouret’s players to fall at their own ground, this time in the Challenge Espoirs semi-final on Sunday 3 May.
After a rather lacklustre first half, in which neither Rennes nor Marseille managed to pose a threat, the game came to life in the second half with Elias Quiñonez opening the scoring with a powerful strike. The lead could even have been doubled shortly afterwards, had Henrick Do Marcolino’s penalty not been saved by the Olympique goalkeeper. Fifteen minutes later, the Red and Blacks were caught off guard by a magnificent free-kick from Alexandre Tunkadi, allowing Marseille to level the score.
With the score at 1-1 at the end of normal time, qualification was decided on penalties. In the shoot-out, OM proved the better side, missing just one attempt compared to two from SRFC.
Despite this elimination, the Red and Blacks have once again put in a fine performance in the Challenge Espoirs this year, having reached the final last season.
Well done, lads, and thank you to the supporters at Roazhon Park today!
Sébastien Tambouret, SRFC coach : « The lads managed to put this week’s specific game plan into practice against a very strong Marseille side. We played the game we wanted to, taking the lead early in the second half. Then came that turning point with the missed penalty, which prevented us from extending our lead. The outcome of the match would undoubtedly have been different.
Despite everything, we’re proud of our performance and we’ll continue to learn from this sort of match, where a place in the final is at stake.
Now, we’ve got some important league matches left, with the aim of securing our place in National 3.
Match sheet
Challenge Espoirs semi-final
Stade Rennais F.C. / Olympique de Marseille : 1-1 (3-4)
Goals : Elias Quiñonez (55e) for SRFC || Alexandre Tunkadi (73e) for OM.
Line up SRFC : Ayoub Akabou – Firmin Thetiot, Junior Ake, Isiaka Soukouna, Kenny Assignon, Joël-Emmanuel Coulibaly, Henrick Do Marcolino, Elias Quiñonez, Amadou Diallo, Kelvin Dongopandji, Melvin Jambry
Substitutes: Dorian Fraeyman, Mervin Gbeme, Alexis Bernard, Steeve Mvodo, Noah Loufoundou, Mouhammad Valmy
Line up: Théo Vermot – Kelyann Bezahaf, Anis Doubal, Pladi Pambani, Hilan Hamzaoui, Nouhoum Kamissoko, Antoine Valero, Yanis Sellami, Ugo Lamarre, Victor Joseph, Tadjidine Mmadi
Substitutes: Felix Bienck, Fode Camara, Lucas Daubenfeld, Ange Lago, Ibrahim Gomis, Bradley Levy, Said Remadnia, Sofiane Sidi Ali, Alexandre Tunkadi
