Bordeaux wins the Champions Trophy
Published on July 25, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Montreal Impact News Release
MONTREAL - For a second consecutive year, FC Girondins de Bordeaux won the Champions Trophy after defeating 2-0 En Avant de Guingamp,in front of 34,068 spectators, at Olympic Stadium.
Bordeaux opened the score at the 38th minute. Following a deep pass from defender Marc Planus, defender Benoit Tremoulinas overwhelmed the defense on the left flank, before executing a cross for Fernando Cavenaghi. The Bordeaux forward beat goalkeeper Stéphane Trévisan to the near post to his right.
Bordeaux midfielder Fernando Menegazzo scored the insurance goal at the 90th minute. Following a free kick by midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, which bounced off the post, Menegazzo jumped on the rebound from the edge of the 6-yard area with a strike that left no chance to goalkeeper Trévisan.
Newcomer Cédric Carrasso signed the clean sheet in his debut match in front of the Bordeaux goal after facing four shots.
"I was very satisfied with the outcome because the only important thing today was to win," said Bordeaux head coach Laurent Blanc. "We didn't win easily, but we definitely deserved the victory. I hope that this result will bode well for our upcoming championship."
"We created various scoring occasions and we scored early on in the match, mentioned FC Girondins de Bordeaux midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, who was named Setanta Sports Player of the Match. We will be able to finish our training in Canada in good spirits. We are still in a preparation phase, so not everything is perfect, but I think that we sought to play today, in addition to posting a solid defense. We adapted well to the artificial surface and this was favourable for our passing game."
"I think that we measured up to the event, but we rubbed against a very good opponent that made us run, said Guingamp head coach Victor Zvunka. "I'm happy with the way we were greeted by the organizers. Everything went well during our five days here, except the loss."
With a crowd of 34,068 spectators, the previous attendance record of 30,529 spectators, set in the 2006 edition of the competition, was shattered.
"The event was a huge success," mentioned Impact Executive Vice President Richard Legendre. "We had important challenges to organize the event in a two-month period, notably the fact that the Champions Trophy wasn't very know from the start. Today we were treated to a very competitive match. Bordeaux was very happy to win and Guingamp, very disappointed to lose. Needless to say that Olympic Stadium is a good soccer stadium."
The match was televised in French, in Canada on Radio-Canada; in France on Direct 8; and in over 200 countries on TV5Monde. Various TV stations worldwide likewise broadcasted the match: Tyc Sports in Argentina; Al Jazeera Sports in the Arab world; Multi TV in Ghana; SATV in Nigeria; Sport.Ro in Romania; TRK Football in Ukraine; and Nova Sports in Greece.
FC Girondins de Bordeaux will play a second game in Montreal against the Impact, Tuesday, at 7:30 pm (CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, radio-canada.ca/sports). Excellent tickets are still available for this match through Admission (514-790-1245 / admission.com) or at the ticketing office of Saputo Stadium. Ticket prices range between $10 and $30 (taxes included).
The Impact plays tonight against the Austin Aztex, at Nelson Field, in Texas at 8:30 pm (USLlive.com).
USL First Division Stories from July 25, 2009
- Stars fall 4-1 - Cleveland City Stars
- Impact ties Aztex - Montreal Impact
- Aztex surrender two-goal lead late, salvage 2-2 tie against Montreal Impact - Austin Aztex
- Bordeaux wins the Champions Trophy - Montreal Impact
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
