RACING 3 RED STAR 2 (ht 2-0)
Division D'Honneur Week 10
Stade Lucien Choine, Colombes, 23/11/2003
Goals : Jacquet (19, 80), Izquierdo (44 pen.) - Latt-Agnes (74), N’Simba (76)
Attendance : 250 - referee : M. Rosio
Booked : Soulas (55) - Diomande (60), Carles (79).
RACING : Lafon, Chauvet, Tagba (Foupa 79), Mérini, Soulas, Sousa, Izquierdo, C. Guillou (Pinto 59), Kwedi (Jaffard 53), Merrouche, Jacquet. Coach : F. Lipka.
RED STAR : Delmas, Carles, Yessad (Dao 68), Diomande, Guei (Jalliti 85), Hamdane, Delaneuville, N’Simba, Marques (Baldé 77), Desmarets, Latt-Agnes. Coach: A. Meguellatti.
AllezRedStar.com man of the match - Reevis N'SIMBA
L-r: Diomande, Hamdane, Delaneuville, Marques
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Red Star came away from Colombes with nothing to show, but were unlucky not to have earned the draw. A moment of defensive naivety, allied to a defence too slow to awaken at the start of the game cost them dearly. A hard lesson for the youngsters.
With regular keeper Germain sidelined until the turn of the year, Laurant Delmas made his first-team debut, as did the returning Djamel Hamdane.
From the kick-off, Red Star had to weather the storm, as it was all one-way traffic. For the first twenty minutes, Red Star didn't even manage to get the ball out of their own half. Finally, with the defence, and in particular Diomande still asleep, Jacquet took advantage to open the scoring for the home side with a well-taken goal, clinically finished. (1-0)
Red Star finished the half stronger than they had started it, but made their taks of saving the game harder when Nabile Yessad was adjudged to have brought down a Racing attacker in the penalty area during a rare Racing counter-attack. Izquierdo made no mistake from the spot, sending Delmas the wrong way (see photo sequence.) So just before the break, Red Star found themselves two goals down. The best chance of pulling one back fell to Franck Guei, who managed to shake off a couple of tackles before letting fly with a mighty drive, but the goalkeeper Lafon was up to the job and turned the shot onto the crossbar then over for a corner.
After the pause, Red Star continued to dominate, but despite enjoying most of the posession were blocked by a sound defence. Then two goals in as many minutes turned the game around. Prior to that, however, Nabil Yessad made an early exit, injured during a Red Star attack, with what appeared to be an ankle injury. The defence was forced to reorganise, with the speedy Dao taking up a central role.
Red Star won a free kick in a dangerous position and when the ball was floated over, André LATT-AGNES rose like a salmon to loop a header over Lafon and into the net (1-2). The Red Star massive were still talking about that when the impressive youngster N'SIMBA worked a neat one-two on the edge of the box before letting fly a powerful shot à la Geoff Hurst 1966, which rebounded off the underside of the bar. For this one even Roger Hunt wouldn't have needed to follow up, as the ball bounced backwards an into the net (2-2).
Red Star deserved that one, especially the hard-working N'Simba. But, with the clock ticking down, Racing won a rare corner from which Jacquet ran the ball past a static defence into the corner of the net to regain the lead for Racing. (2-3).
The game finished in virtual darkness, the little annexe stadium at Colombes does not posess floodlights. For Red Star, they tried, and gave everything. At the end of the game it was the home side suffering from cramp, on a heavy pitch Desmarets, N'Simba and co had ran them into the ground. For Red Star, special mentions to captain Yoann Delaneuville, who never gave up, Yves Desmarets similar, and he deserved a last-minute equaliser. Latt-Agnes put in 100% up front, Julien Carles impelled his colleagues forwards, Phil Marques posed problems for a stretched defence, and despite a long absence from football, Djamel Hamdane showed glimpses of class, something that can make a huge difference in the weeks to come.
It is going to be a long haul, but with a solid group and some talented players, Red Star have the means to deal with it.
Allez Red Star !
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