At OL Park,
“Forever the first!” » Selma Bacha had fun Friday by borrowing her most famous Olympic medal from another Olympic punchline. Because yes, their OL managed to win their first French championship title against PSG (2-1) in this play-off formula (very contested in Lyon) driven by the FFF. By quickly scoring two goals in four minutes thanks to Delphine Cascarino (1-0, 18th) and Kadidiatou Diani (2-0, 22nd), OL at the same time lifted their 17th coronation in D1… in the last 18 editions.
Or an unchallenged reign as few teams have managed to establish in the history of French sport. Crowned for the third time in a row as coach, after having been so six times as a Lyon player, Sonia Bompastor explains in her own way this endless hegemony of OL. “No matter the opponent, no matter the formula with these changed rules of the game, OL will be champions and will always be there because this team is special,” she sums up. There is a remarkable state of mind, united players and an impressive collective strength that emerges. »
“We kept our serenity and calm”
Even completely deprived of the ball and sometimes suffering after the reduction of the gap by Tabitha Chawinga (2-1, 73rd), the Lyonnaises did not give in, retaining their precious advantage until the end of added time, with key a final save from Christiane Endler against Chawinga (90th+5). “We knew that the Parisiennes were going to push but we kept our serenity and our calm,” appreciates captain Wendie Renard. This group has a lot of maturity and experience. »
Because even a Selma Bacha, at 23 years old, has already had a major role in six conquests in D1 and even four crowns in the Champions League, while waiting for the exciting OL-Barça in the final of the European Cup on May 25. But despite everything, this record seems meager in comparison with that of her teammate Wendie Renard (33 years old). She continues her demonstration on this fascinating thesis subject: “How can OL be so insatiable/unplayable? “.
“ We are not satisfied with trophies, me first and foremost. We never get tired of it, and then it’s the first of the year (smile). For everyone, the counters are reset to zero when we start the season. Winning a title is like when you start to eat: sometimes you’re not hungry but when you start to taste something and think it’s good, you want to finish the plate. That’s how it is, we always want, we question ourselves every season and every match. I’m not neglecting anyone and this evening, we showed character, determination and efficiency. »
PSG must “face reality”
A winning cocktail to achieve “a deserved title”, and a relentless series of five victories and a draw in six official matches against PSG this season, between Trophée des champions, regular season, Champions League (ah, this remontada in the first leg, from 0-2 in the 79th to 3-2 in the 86th…) and D1 play-offs. Enough to make Parisian coach Jocelyn Prêcheur almost fatalistic: “History repeats itself and we have to face reality. We have just played the Lyonnaises three times and they beat us three times. They are stronger than us. Their strength is what they have been building for several years. The factual observation is harsh and severe: we are not at the level of Olympique Lyonnais today.”
And probably not in the coming months either, as OL structurally have a major lead over their Parisian rival. It is not for nothing that senior players like Christiane Endler and Kadidiatou Diani left PSG to join Lyon in 2021 and 2023. With success, as is the case for most recruits, like the promising Melchie Dumornay (20 years old), radiant for her first major title won in front of 15,660 spectators.
“Very easy to integrate into OL”
“It’s very easy to integrate into OL, our group is open-minded and puts everyone at ease,” says the Haitian striker. Another key to success as this one ends the season with a cannonball, with a new decisive pass for Kadidiatou Diani on Friday. A dynamic which pushes the first scorer of the evening Delphine Cascarino to embrace this thirst for coronations: “We never tire of it, it doesn’t matter whether it’s 17, 20 or 30 titles as I hope in the future. We will always be proud to win the championship.”
Finally, it will first be necessary to ensure that this number 17 in the trophy collection at Décines is well validated. Because this play-off formula dear to Jean-Michel Aulas and Canal + inspires Sonia Bompastor: “I just hope that the FFF will not wake up tomorrow by putting a return match in this final, fingers crossed”. What if humor was the precious bonus ingredient of the OL Féminin dynasty?