A well-deserved win [2-1]

The Girondins faced SM Caen, this Sunday afternoon, in the final of the Emiliano Sala Challenge. Under a blazing summer sun, Bordeaux got the better of a young Caen side (2-1). Things got off to a catastrophic start for the Girondins, when Gonçalves picked out Molchan from the very first corner of the game. Molchan placed a cool header past Costil at the front post (0-1, 2’). It turned out to be the only chance Caen had in the first half. A more mature and organised Bordeaux side soon seized hold of possession and had their opponents chasing the ball. All that was missing was the final touch, as good deliveries from Samuel Kalu (13’), Yacine Adli (18’) and Rémi Oudin (32’) all went begging. Samuel Kalu thought he had equalised just before the break, but the ball scraped past the wrong side of the post (44’).  

The Girondins looked very strong nonetheless. In the midfield, the industry of Issouf Sissokho and precision passing of Ruben Pardo had Caen in a spin. Bordeaux kept on patiently searching for the weak point in Caen's defence, and they soon found it. Immediately after half time, Rémi Oudin grabbed the equaliser. Connecting with a clever ball from Yacine Adli, the winger cut inside and surprised Caen keeper Péan with a superb shot (1-1, 47’).

With an hour on the clock, Jean-Louis Gasset brought on some fresh legs with five substitutions, followed by four more ten minutes later. The subs injected some energy into the game, as the Girondins continued to dominate. Caen saw very little of the ball, although Jeannot did give Bordeaux a brief scare with a header that missed the target (70’).

As time wore on, Amadou Traoré's probing runs caused Caen more and more problems. He created chances for Dilane Bakwa (67’) and Josh Maja (73’), but it was Toma Basic who created the winner. He floated in an excellent cross from the left, which the Caen keeper pushed into the path of Sékou Mara, who slammed home from close range to seal the victory (2-1, 83’).

Bordeaux were deserved winners of the first Emiliano Sala Challenge, an emotional experience in memory of our late striker. As generous in real life as he was on the field, Emi was a gentle soul with a passion for victory. As always, our thoughts and best wishes go out to his many friends and family.