The 41st edition is well underway!
Festival d’Armor: Braga States Intent, Brest and Lyon Start Strong
In the U17 category, the first day of the tournament offered a glimpse of several promising teams, while others are already facing an uphill battle. Reigning champions SC Braga sent a powerful message to their competitors…
The whistle for the 41st Festival d’Armor—a FIFA-sanctioned U15 and U17 tournament and a major local celebration in Plougonvelin and its surrounding towns—blew at exactly 2:00 PM. It was time for football, and high-quality football at that! Stade Brestois, who have never triumphed at the Trémeur stadium, opened their campaign by drawing with Sparta Rotterdam, but recovered well to defeat FC Porto (1-0) late in the afternoon. The competition’s new format, modeled after the Champions League (the top 4 teams in the standings will go to the semifinals), promises suspense until the very end, and everything is still possible for the Brest team.
However, the day’s most anticipated match—played in front of a thousand spectators—was the clash between two major professional clubs: Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain. At the end of a tight contest, it was “les Gones” (Lyon’s nickname) who narrowly secured a 1-0 victory against a Parisian side that is drawing all the attention, even more so since the senior team’s Champions League victory. At the end of Matchday 1, PSG’s performance is average, with one loss and a goalless draw against Guingamp (0-0).
Some, like the players of SC Braga, might sleep better than others tonight. The Portuguese team won both of their matches (1-0 against the Finistère regional selection, 1-0 against KAS Eupen), making them the only team to achieve this feat. Finalists two years ago and winners last year, the Sporting Clube has sent a clear message to the competition: they will be a force to be reckoned with again this year. Who can stop them? It’s hard to say. “The first takeaway is that the level is particularly high, even more so than in previous years, which is very satisfying for us,” noted Patrick Derrien, a member of the Festival’s sporting committee. “It’s difficult to pick a potential winner yet, but I find that a few French clubs, especially Stade Brestois, are quite impressive.”
SM Caen (1 win, 1 draw) also caught the eye of some experts by the pitch, as did the tough EA Guingamp squad and FC Lorient. It is harder, however, to get a clear picture of Le Havre AC, who were defeated in their first match against FC Lorient due to a late defensive error and then managed a solid draw against the rugged Brazilian side Ceara.
With two losses in two matches (0-2 against Porto, 1-5 against Rotterdam), the Stars of Tomorrow Breda academy, a last-minute replacement for a team from Ivory Coast that was unable to travel, has already seen its hopes of qualifying dashed, as have the Belgians from KAS Eupen.
For all the other teams, the second day of the tournament promises to be intense. The action resumes Sunday at 10:00 AM with Stade Brestois taking on SM Caen!
Photo credit: Kzt.photographie