I was fortunate enough to have been at the Trophee des Champions game in Harrison , NJ
It was really a terrific game. Back and forth, intense and even electrifying..
But that changed rather suddenly with a header by Bafetimbi Gomis in the 44th minute, just before the half, that served as the equalizer.
Still Montpellier
Montpellier was awarded a controversial free kick after the ball hit the hand of Lyon's Mahamadou Dabo after a free kick by Marco Estrada in the 56th minute.Emanuel Herrera managed to convert the penalty to give Montpellier the 2-1 advantage, and there followed an amusing celebration, where Herrera placed his foot on the knee of a teammate, and looked like he was having his shoes shined.
But in a back and forth affair, the lead did not last. Lyon 's Jimmy Briand managed to beat the goalkeeper in the 77th minute off a great assist by Alexandre Lacazette, who spun around to beat two defenders before delivering the ball to Briand for the tying goal.
After that, both teams had some tremendous opportunities that were not ultimately converted, and at the end of regulation time, the score was nodded at 2-2 apiece. Montpellier found itself a man down after a red card was given to Estrada very late in the game, but Lyon was not able to capitalize during regulation time. It went straight to the shoot out.
The shoot out itself was intense, with both teams missing their first attempts, then recovering to convert their second attempts. But Lyon's goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris showed why he was the starting goalie for the French national team by blocking a shot, and putting Montpellier Lyon converted all the rest of their shots, to secure their record seventh Trophee des Champions title.
One guy that most likely will want to quickly forget this game is Montpellier Lyon 's goalie, Hugo Lloris, was largely out of the play. But Charbonnier shanked it. Later on, during the penalty shootout, he missed his kick, and that proved very costly for Montpellier
It was fitting that the presentation for the game's MVP trophy, which was rewarded to Yoann Gourcoff , was presented by Youri Djorkaeff, who was not only a prominent member of the French national team that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 Euro, but also played for the local Red Bulls before they got their beautiful new home stadium in Harrison. There really could not have been a better selection to make the presentation, perhaps with the exception of Thierry Henry, who is an active player, and had obligations with a Red Bulls away game in Montreal (which the Red Bulls lost, 3-1, by the way).
If you are a fan of soccer, you really should come to a game at this sparkling new stadium. It truly is a gem, a modern looking stadium that provides comfortable seats and an intimiate feel. It has the added bonus of being conveniently located in Harrison, within walking distance of Newark, near Interstate 280 and with the 24 hour PATH train running within easy walking distance. My brother informed me that Henry used to take the PATH train to get to some of those Red Bulls games, which surprised me!
It was fitting that the presentation for the game's MVP trophy, which was rewarded to Yoann Gourcoff , was presented by Youri Djorkaeff, who was not only a prominent member of the French national team that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 Euro, but also played for the local Red Bulls before they got their beautiful new home stadium in Harrison. There really could not have been a better selection to make the presentation, perhaps with the exception of Thierry Henry, who is an active player, and had obligations with a Red Bulls away game in Montreal (which the Red Bulls lost, 3-1, by the way).
If you are a fan of soccer, you really should come to a game at this sparkling new stadium. It truly is a gem, a modern looking stadium that provides comfortable seats and an intimiate feel. It has the added bonus of being conveniently located in Harrison, within walking distance of Newark, near Interstate 280 and with the 24 hour PATH train running within easy walking distance. My brother informed me that Henry used to take the PATH train to get to some of those Red Bulls games, which surprised me!
Here are some links to very good articles that I used to help me write this piece:
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