The Franciscan Club has advanced to the 7th round of the French Soccer Cup.
The Club Franciscain improved its record for the number of wins in the seventh round of the French Soccer Cup, bringing it to 6. It defeated Ste Geneviève 2-0, controlling the match with great focus. It was also a lesson in efficiency for a struggling visiting team that lacked inspiration, featuring eight players of African descent and just one from Martinique, Miguel Esméralda.
The two Franciscan goals against Sainte-Geneviève were scored by Yan Thimon and Patrick Percin—one in each half. The crowd was nowhere near as large as on big game days, but the fans in attendance enjoyed the Franciscain performance. The team led by Jean-Marc Civault and Dominique Zaire played a perfect game against a Parisian suburban side that was disciplined but disorganized. Club Franciscain can boast of having won five other seventh-round matches in the French Soccer Cup. They defeated Montpellier 2-1 in November 1982 at the Louis Achille Stadium. Then they beat FC Bourges 2-1 in 1992 at the Georges Gratiant Stadium. Brive (2–1), also at Lamentin, in 1994; Trelissac (4–3 on penalty kicks) at Dillon in 1996; and Noisy-le-Sec (2–1) at the Pierre Aliker Stadium in 2002 all lost to Club Franciscain. Now we turn to the matches played in France as part of the seventh round of the French Cup. L’Aiglon du Lamentin, which had hoped to win a seventh-round match, disappointed by losing 2-0 to Cholet in Cholet. It was a pale imitation of the Lamentin team, which displayed glaring weaknesses at this level. L’Aiglon failed to make an impact despite its individual talents. And the French players of Caribbean descent who traveled to Cholet cannot understand the completely botched performance of a team coached by the proven Cuban tactician Luis Armélio Garcia. The game plan put in place did not work. Instructions were ignored. Players were nervous. Cholet could have won by a wide margin. No one would have said a word. L’Aiglon du Lamentin owes us a rematch. They have the Martinique Cup and a strong league standing to redeem themselves. Club Franciscain is now set to play in France for the eighth round of the Coupe de France. It will need to present a different image than that of L’Aiglon, which was way off the mark. Club Franciscain was the first club from Martinique to win in France. It defeated Angers 2-0 in Colombes in 2005. La Samaritaine is the second club from Martinique to have achieved this feat on French soil, winning 1-0 against the CFA club Les Sables d’Olones.
