Nantes’ crazy adventure in the Youth League continued in line with what had preceded. After three qualifications in a row on penalties and the 1-0 success gleaned in Salzburg, Stéphane Moreau’s team added a fourth against Copenhagen, beaten 5-4 on penalties.
She suffered a lot at first, however. Surprised by a magnificent strike from Tabibou (12th), the Danes quickly corrected the scoreboard so that it better expresses the reality of the match. In the 33rd minute, it was 3-1 for Copenhagen and the 19,301 spectators (French record for a Youth League match, 4th best attendance in the history of the competition) did not see how the FCN could stop the opposing mechanism .
A red card which rebalanced the debates
And then the Azeri referee severely sent off Olsson for a foul on Leroux (34th) and the match was rebalanced. Nantes, who missed the penalty for 2-3 just before the break (45th + 3), then reduced the gap through Mafoumbi (54th) and Leroux equalized with a cross shot into the side net (64th). Behind, Appuah did not find the target (81st) and Nzita’s shot was deflected by the goalkeeper (90th+1), Buur, the freshest of the Danes at this moment of the match.
He was still there to stop Nantes’ third shot on goal, that of Enzo Mongo. But Tom Mabon stopped the strikes of Birch, Glintvad and Halsgaard, the seventh Danish striker, in a crazy atmosphere: the FCN will see the Final Four in Nyon.