With close to twenty-three movements in the off-season (and counting), a first match out of preparation under strong heat and a field that slowed the game, this first match of the season in Nîmes had everything to be a trap match. the SM Caen overcame the Gard obstacle with character.
Success sought in stoppage time
It was already (almost) a habit last season. Caen had scored eight goals in stoppage time or in the last minute but none had been the winning goal. At best, they had saved the draw (Bastia and Auxerre) or consolidated a victory. And the painful defeat in Pau (1-0) had shown that dominating was not always rewarded.
“We had the character – and that makes me very happy – to get this victory” rightly savored Stéphane Moulin on Saturday evening.
Successful comers
Saturday evening, the Caen goal was obtained by two substitutes. Godson Kyeremeh scored his first Ligue 2 goal after a season on loan at National. The young striker benefited from a golden pass from Caleb Zady Séry. The Ivorian offensive player proved five months after his big injury against Bastia that he had lost none of his ability to break the lines.
Winning coaching for Stéphane Moulin? “We are here to do our job, relativizes the Norman coach. Caleb told me “Winning Coaching”. I replied that it was thanks to the players that coaches do winning coaching. It is the players who score and make the assists. And that’s what happened. It was Caleb’s first match for five months, he is not fit to start today but we know his qualities. I knew that over 20 minutes, he and Godson were able to bring danger and bring a different register than what we had shown so far. “
A calm defense
SM Caen started its season like last year without taking a single goal.
Goalkeeper Anthony Mandréa will have spent a quiet second half in the Gard even if it was during this period that he had to win his only big duel against Koné. The Caen defense will have shown serenity around its captain Romain Thomas and an always impressive Ibrahim Cissé. Recruitment efforts in the sector during the off-season look promising.
“Defence must be one of our strengths, believes Stéphane Moulin. _This was almost one of our weak points last year so we wanted to remedy it. Knowing that we still had two potential starting players who were not there (Emmanuel Ntim and Ali Abdi, suspended). In terms of homogeneity this evening (Saturday) it was practically not seen and that is interesting.” _
Supporters always present
The Norman club may be living its fourth season in a row in Ligue 2 and having experienced half a season in the tough last year, it can always count on the fervor of its supporters. They were nearly fifty to have traveled nearly 2000 km round trip in the middle of a summer crossover to support their favorite club. And the number of subscribers to d’Ornano has already crossed 6200 enthusiasts even before knowing the value on the ground of their team. It is currently twice as much as Saint Etienne.
We will have to rely even more on them in a week for the first game at home with an opponent, Metz, who especially encourages us not to ignite or not to see ourselves too handsome.
“The first match is treacherous, wisely recalls Ibrahim Cissé. The most important thing is to make series. We saw that Metz won 3-0. It’s going to be a big game. We will prepare it quietly.”