It's a match that will count this season. As a founding act of a group which, in addition to having enormous potential, also has heart and resources. The few hundred spectators who took their seats in the stands of the Unicorn stadium for this relocated match experienced an incredible scenario.
Trailing 2-0 after 66 minutes on an own goal from Timothée Kolodziejczak (40th) and a strike from Yassine (65th), Paris FC was heading towards its first defeat of the season after its promising victory in Caen (2-0) last Saturday.
The solution came from the bench. But Stéphane Gilli's team managed to snatch victory. Julien Lopez first reduced the score with a lob (1-2, 79th) then Timothée Kolodziejczak took his revenge by equalizing with an angry header (2-2, 88th). But the best is yet to come. Launched by Vincent Marchetti, the young Omar Sissoko (18 years old), who signed his first professional contract this summer, gains momentum in Dunkirk and deceives Jaouen (3-2, 90th). This is his first goal in L2 for his 4th appearance.
As in Caen with Alimami Gory (goal and penalty caused), it was again the bench and the coaching of Stéphane Gilli which made the difference. Julien Lopez and Omar Sissoko, two of the three scorers, have indeed come into play. This wealth and depth of bench will necessarily be an asset for Paris FC in its quest to climb to L 1 this season. The Parisians are the only team with Guingamp to have two victories in two matches.
“Dunkirk caused us problems by coming to pick us up very high,” underlines Stéphane Gilli. With the game we offer, when we are not fair, we pay for it. But our victory is deserved in view of our 2nd half even if it is hard for Dunkirk. I am proud of the team and the winning spirit it exudes. We must congratulate the whole group. If we want to have ambitions, we have to count on everyone. The players who enter are decisive. It's the perfect evening in terms of accounting, for the players, but in terms of accounting, there are things to improve. We're not going to come back every match like that. We will have to be more consistent at home. Now, I miss our supporters at Charléty.”
The Parisian coach also had a little word for Kolodziejczak: “Kolo? He did the double, they chambered him (smile). It shows his state of mind. He is our captain, our leader. But he sounded the revolt, that's the mark of the great. Victory is beautiful.”
Match sheet: PARIS FC - DUNKIRK: 3-2 (0-1). Goals. Paris FC: Lopez (79th), Kolodziejczak (88th), Sissoko (90th); Dunkirk: Kolodziejczak (40th csc), Yassine (66th). Paris FC: Nkambadio - Tourraine, Mbow, Kolodziejczak (cap.), Ollila (Gaudin, 82nd) - Doucet, Marchetti, Camara (Lopez, 74th), Kebbal (Dicko, 74th) - Krasso (Sissoko, 82nd), Gory (Lukembila, 90th).. Entr.: Gilli.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga season opened this evening (Friday) with typical drama, as reigning champion Bayer Leverkusen recorded a crazy 2:3 over Borussia Monchengladbach. After the dramatic victory in the German Supercup, Xavi Alonso's oiled machine started on the right foot - but it went so hard, and once again iron character and miracles in extra time led to the three points.
The opening was stunning, no less: Granit Xhaka took advantage of a ball that was passed to him from behind to unleash a mighty missile with one touch outside the area, straight to the connections of Jonas Omlin who remained helpless between the posts (12). The Swiss did not celebrate against the team he played in the past. The dizzying Florian Wirtz continued from the same point where he stopped last year and doubled in the 38th minute.
Gladbach - the only team in the Bundesliga that prevented Berkusen from finding the back of the net last year - piled up difficulties again. After Tim Kleindienst's curling goal was disallowed by VAR in the 43rd minute, Nico Albadi's was confirmed by the monitor system in the 60th minute. Then, in the 85th minute, we got another refereeing drama: Kleindienst again found the net, the referee again went to VAR - and confirmed the possession.
The drama came to a head 11 minutes into added time, when the champion who knows a thing or two about winning in the last seconds was awarded a penalty under the auspices of the VAR. Omlin did manage to repel Wirtz's kick - but last season's outstanding player reached the rebound first and scored it to make it 2:3 crazy. This is the 18th (!) goal that Berkusen has scored after the 90th minute since the start of last season.
None of the players purchased by Xavi Alonso who arrived this summer received the team shirt and two of them were included as substitutes - Martin Trey (65) and Alesh Garcia (82).
