The cruel end of a magnificent season. Racing’s European dream was shattered in the smoke of the Vélodrome stadium on Saturday evening, with the heaviest defeat of the season for the Strasbourgeois, 4-0, against Marseille. As a result, Racing finished in sixth place in the Ligue 1 standings, the first not to offer a European ticket.
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Dimitri Liénard, the captain did not playand from the stands, he believed for a long time in European qualification, despite the fact that his teammates were trailing, because Nice and Lens, direct competitors, were also in difficulty : “A quarter of an hour from the end, you say to yourself, Nice must score two goals, Lens must score two goals, there may be a star, as since the start of the season, it may pass . Unfortunately, Nice did the job. Congratulations to them.”
Indeed, Nice beat Reims 3-2, ending the hopes of Strasbourg. But despite this epilogue, which he obviously would have liked to be different, Dimitri Liénard has a message for Racing fans : “Let them be proud of us! We are proud of them. All Alsatians must continue to believe in us. You don’t have to be sad. When we remember all the exploits we have done this season, the Meinau that we thrilled to sold-out crowds, what we managed to do this year, it’s extraordinary.”
A state of mind shared by the coach, Julien Stéphan : “tonight’s defeat does not overshadow the quality of the season. We have to remember where we left from, where we are coming from, what path we have travelled. Remember that 63 points is remarkable. Unfortunately, this year with 63 points finishing sixth, it is not enough to be European.”
We have to remember where we left from, where we arrived, what path we traveled.” – Julien Stéphan
The coach also draws lessons from this meeting: “It is also a match that shows us all the progress to be made in this kind of atmosphere. It is perhaps the lack of habit of this kind of match that has failed us.“But He Wants”pay tribute to the players for their season, for the work done, for all the progress“. Now the players are off for a month, before training resumes on June 23.