The faint smell of the end of season was evident in Thouars’ Philippe-Morin stadium. Gueret was in first place with two points. La Rochelle couldn’t resist winning against the two-sevrienne team that would finish in the Top 5 for their promotion chances. The Rochelais were able to get the first chance, starting from the third with a Dagorin center shot that deceived Grellier. Lamine N’Diaye was quickly followed by Hakim Bouchareb.
Gradually, the intensity drops. The Thouarsais win a corner in the 28th. The ball is hit at the penalty spot. However, it is repulsed by the maritime defense and falls at Obin’s feet (1-0, 29th). The Rochelais cannot accelerate and are not very decisive in the second. They also rely on a corner after 25 long and complicated minutes. Raphael Sauvage imitates Thomas Obin (1-1, 69th).
Allagbe, Aunisian goalkeeper pulls off two crucial saves as Mehdi Zidane wins the free kick from Georges Kikalishvili (1-2). The Rochelais let out a scream of joy and gave themselves a victory at the buzzer to end the season. Gueret may have won the contest at the same moment, but it might not be so vain. It will all depend on their protest (read elsewhere).
