Honours (almost) even but Etoile go through
Sunday, 09 December 07, 02:43 AM · Comments(0)
They can't say they weren't warned. Pachuca may have dominated possession, but they were out-foxed by an Etoile team that were determined to put themselves on the football map.
21 year Ghanian Moussa Narry scored the only goal following an intricate passing move - practically Etoile's only passing move of the match, and Narry's strike took a cruel deflection off defender Leobardo Lopez on its way in. The deflection left popular goalkeeper Miguel Calero clutching at thin air as the ball bounded passed him, but it sparked wild celebrations from the Etoile bench.
It also prompted a deathly silence from the 300 or so Pachuca fans that had made their way to the National Stadium, with Narry's late strike on a blustery afternoon in Tokyo leaving little time for the Mexican team to conjure an equaliser.
They failed to do so, and while the Mexican media were quick to round on Australian referee Mark Shields' performance, veteran coach Enrique Meza was having none of it. Indeed Meza was gracious in defeat, claiming that Etoile deserved their win despite the fact that Pachuca dominated territorial possession. "If you don't score a goal, you can't win the match" was Meza's reasoned response.
So Etoile go on to meet Argentine glamour club Boca Juniors in the semi-finals of the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. When asked if Etoile would feel "less pressure" because no one expected them to beat Boca, Etoile coach Bertrand Marchand claimed that no one expected his side to beat Pachuca either, before going on to sing the praises of his young team for executing his game plan in grand style. Who knows, perhaps the former Guingamp coach has another surprise up his sleeve for Boca Juniors?
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Follow the adventures of me, SM, and the two Tokyo Blogging contest winners, manogil and MikeTuckerman, as we take on Japan and cover the FIFA Club World Cup 2007. News, Reviews, Photos and hopefully a few interviews!
