At the end of the afternoon, the national road 12 linking Guingamp to Brest must have been particularly congested in the direction of the town of Ponant. No matter: the drivers and passengers of this crowd of Brest fans necessarily had a smile on their lips, still happy, marked by the first victory in the Champions League of the Stade Brestois, on Thursday 19 September, against the Austrian club Sturm Graz (2 – 1).
The Breton club and its fans discovered the European Cup, a novelty in its seventy-four years of existence. So, obviously, “It was different, but for the better. It’s a thousand times bigger than what we normally experience in Ligue 1.”Audrey enjoyed herself after the game, as the SB29 players engaged with their fans. “These are magical moments”“No one, from the players to the fans, wanted to interrupt this suspended moment and leave the pitch at the Roudourou stadium,” said Eric Roy, the Brest coach.
But we had to return to Brest. In fact, the match was played in Guingamp, because the Francis-Le Blé stadium is not approved by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Despite everything, the Stade Brestois “I felt at home”“It was a shame that the club had to be a great player,” said Eric Roy. However, the arrival of Ty’Zefs in Côtes-d’Armor revived the old rivalry with En Avant Guingamp (EAG) and insulting labels against Stade Brest adorned some walls around Roudourou.
Nothing to spoil the historic event that SB29 supporters were about to experience. “Our position is easier than theirs. [celle des supporteurs guingampais]. We play the Champions League at home, while they are in Ligue 2”“Glenn smiled before the match, calm but full of compassion for the opponent from Guingamp. Like other Brest fans, the young man had settled in a few hours before kick-off at the bistro Le Lapin Rouge, the usual meeting place for EAG fans before matches.
“We brought Brest back to Guingamp”
“We no longer focus on the colour of the stadium or the place where it takes place. Now it is the event that takes priority”Paul supported the match, delighted to have won a ticket on the morning of the match. Some tickets were still being sold a few hours before the match, while the 10,200 season ticket holders at the Stade Brestois had bought the package for the four home games the club will play in this Champions League.
Paul, a fan of the club for fifty years, was still unaware of what he was about to witness: “Brest in the Champions League is absolutely incredible. After everything the club has been through… Tonight the atmosphere is going to be huge. We brought Brest back to Guingamp.” Francis-Le Blé’s move to Roudourou did not worry the Brest fans, who quickly made their mark in this rental environment.
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