There are ten minutes to go in the intense and indecisive Champions Cup final between the province of Leinster, big favorites, and Stade Rochelais; The Irish lead 21 to 17. Seven penalties scored against two tries already scored. Grégory Alldritt, bravery captain, and his partners are pushing. They no longer come out of the opposing 22 meters, try to smash the blue wall. For nine minutes, the Maritimes chained 53 rucks, collected five penalties, all transformed into a scrum. It pushes hard. And it ends up cracking when Arthur Retière, returned shortly before in number 9, sneaks in to flatten. Delivery. For a major feat after ten minutes in apnea for all La Rochelle supporters.
Roland-Garros will have the right, on Tuesday, to an explosive clash in the quarter-finals between Rafael Nadal and the Serbian Novak Djokovic. But the final before the hour that everyone expects could very well have lost its Spanish headliner. Rafael Nadal, pushed to his limits, needed five fierce sets and more than four hours of play to overcome a tough Felix Auger-Aliassime (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6 , 6-3). The talented Canadian, who until this year had never won a single match in the main draw, was on the verge of signing a resounding success against the Spaniard whose defeat counter will therefore remain blocked at three doors down. Auteuil since 2005 (in 112 matches). Just two fingers.
14 Champions Leagues, 8 victories in their last 8 finals… Real Madrid more than ever deserve their title of “biggest club in the world”. Given for “deaths” four times (in the 8th against PSG, in the quarters against Chelsea then in the semis against City), dominated for a large part of the final by Liverpool on Saturday, the Merengues are unique in their ability to overthrow mountains. “Nobody thought we could win it,” admitted Carlo Ancelotti after the triumph of Saint-Denis, his fourth as coach (two with Milan, two with Real). But what does this special club have to never give up and force its destiny? “It’s easier to win the Champions League with Real than with another team, thanks to its history, the passion of its supporters and the structure of the club,” explained the Italian coach. “From the round of 16 until today, we suffered a lot. But we never plunged morally, admires Ancelotti. While preparing for this match, I never saw any nervousness in the locker room. This incredible confidence comes from the history of the club. Unique.
Two weeks after limiting the breakage at Le Mans, Fabio Quartararo did even better at Mugello. Second in the Italian Grand Prix behind the vengeful and no less formidable Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), the world champion took control of the championship thanks to the big points scored in Italy and combined with the exit from the road of Enea Bastianini, winner of the French GP in mid-May. The only driver to have finished all of the Grand Prix in the top 10, Quartararo has seen his consistency pay off. “It’s the key to be regular, but you have to be on the podium,” agreed the interested party on Canal . Not far from him in Italy, Johann Zarco offered himself a new place of honor, fourth just behind the other regular driver on the grid, Aleix Espargaro, new runner-up to Quartararo in the championship (8 points difference).
AJ Auxerre is rising from its ashes. The Burgundians fought throughout the season and during these two play-offs to find the elite of French football. The men of Jean-Marc Furlan, coach who has the most accessions to Ligue 1, were superior to the Stéphanois. Auxerre had to go all the way to a penalty shoot-out to secure their ticket to Ligue 1. Almost 10 years after descending to the bottom tier, AJ Auxerre are finally reuniting with the elite of French football and putting end to his purgatory. Very happy, the players could not celebrate their victory because of the overflows and are impatiently waiting to return to celebrate this as it should be with the people of Auxerre.
Jai Hindley got his revenge in the Giro d’Italia. Second in the event in 2020, where he was ranked in the same second as future winner Tao Geoghegan Hart on the eve of the finish, the Australian succeeded this time by winning the Giro 2022. A triumph, the first for an Australian in 105 editions, acquired after a real tour de force in the Dolomites on Saturday. Expected by his partner Lennard Kämna, Hindley took advantage of a royal launch light towards winning the pink jersey so dear to him, stolen from the nose and beard of the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, last Olympic champion and winner of the Giro 2019. Three years later, it is therefore the elegant 26-year-old Australian, who also won the formidable 9th stage to the Blockhaus, who grabs his first major career victory. Before one day discovering the Tour de France, where he will dream of following in the footsteps of his illustrious compatriot Cadel Evans, winner of the 2011 Tour.
Victor Perez put on an incredible display to defeat Ryan Fox in the shoot-off and claim his second European Tour title at the Dutch Open. The Frenchman was the author of four exceptional putts to win the KLM Dutch Open at the expense of the New Zealander. Perez (-13 in total) first knew how to find the resources to come back from behind this Sunday and get involved in the final fight. Launched in the last lap on the course of the Bernardus Golf Club, the Tarbais was three strokes behind the leader in the 17th and penultimate lap… before drawing his putter! Very lively on the greens, Victor Perez first stayed alive on the third hole of this barrage against Ryan Fox, 90th in the world, thanks to a putt of more than six meters. Impressive concentration, the French managed to win the victory with this boiling hot putter. He investigated a putt from the end of the world (about 12 meters) to win on the next hole.
Impossible to ignore the grotesque and shameful spectacle glimpsed off the pitch on Saturday evening before, during and after Liverpool-Real Madrid. If the Ministry of the Interior has already targeted its culprits, in this case English supporters without tickets, it is going a bit too quickly. Time will bring its share of answers, but the many young people present before, during and after the match around the stadium or even inside, without tickets, have also made matters worse. Add to that an outdated mode of filtering and an organization on the nerves, all giving a pathetic image of France in Europe. SHAME.
There are no more French in the running at Porte d’Auteuil in the second week. Anything but a surprise, but the predicted disaster did not take place. Little consolation. Five Tricolores were still alive at the end of the third round after five days of competition. Almost a blue white red fireworks for a French tennis more than ever in crisis. But at the end of a black Saturday on the land of Porte d’Auteuil, the party ended in a wet firecracker, with five survivors eliminated without taking the slightest set against their respective opponents. The last in the running Hugo Gaston was slapped in the night session by the Dane Holger Rune (6-3, 6-3, 6-3). Diane Parry (exit by Stephens, 6-2, 6-3), Friday, Léolia Jeanjean (eliminated by Begu 6-1, 6-4) were overtaken by their inexperience. Alizé Cornet, injured, gave up (led 6-0, 3-0 by Zheng), and Gilles Simon, out of breath, gave up against Cilic (6-0, 6-3, 6-2). For the second consecutive year, there is no French in the round of 16. It’s less bad than last year, when there weren’t even any in the 3rd round. A first… since 1891. Small consolation…
The Scuderia has awakened its old demons. Long mocked for their strategies, the Italians had recently rectified the situation. Sunday in Monaco, everything resurfaced. So in the lead, Charles Leclerc was pushing to switch directly from rain tires to those for dry tracks. Just like Carlos Sainz. But his team made the choice to bring the Monegasque back on the 18th lap to put on intermediate shoes. A losing bet since the poleman came out behind Sergio Perez. Already annoyed by this strange choice, number 16 became furious on lap 21 when the Scuderia opted for a double stop in order to put hard tires on its single-seaters. Ferrari had then lost the race lead to Perez and Leclerc had lost the podium, relegated to fourth place. A sentence difficult to accept for him, especially at home. The Monegasque still loses big points in the championship, especially after his retirement in Spain last weekend.
Finalists in the Champions League in 1976 and ten times champions of France, which is a record, AS Saint-Etienne descended to Ligue 2 after their defeat on penalties in the play-offs against Auxerre. It was on penalties that the future of the two teams was decided and Ryad Boudebouz, who saw his penalty saved by Léon, condemned AS Saint-Etienne to return to Ligue 2 almost 20 years later ( 2004). At the end of the penalty shootout, the Saint-Etienne supporters invaded the lawn of Geoffroy-Guichard and threw a large number of smoke bombs to try to get into the corridor leading to the locker rooms. Throughout the game, the fans of Saint-Etienne demanded the resignation of the management currently in place. They were quickly dispersed by the police. An official statement from the club at the end of the match also indicated that immediate and important changes were going to take place, such as the sale of the club in particular.
To read alsoAnger of the supporters, throwing of smoke bombs, invaded ground… Surreal scenes after Saint-Etienne-Auxerre
Two months that the Toulonnais evolved on a wire. Stacking the victories (ten in eleven matches) to try to save their season. With a double front: snatch an unexpected qualification for the final phase of the Top 14, they who were in 13th place at the start of the year, and finally win the Challenge Cup after three defeats in the final. This incredible chase cost a lot of energy and strength to the Varois who suffered in the final against LOU. Lyonnais more alert, more vigorous, more inspired. For a 30 to 12 defeat which does not suffer from any challenge. A disappointment to be digested without delay. Next Sunday, the RCT goes to Nanterre to face Racing 92 there during the 26th and last day of the regular season. With a simple equation: win to qualify. Any other result will send Charles Ollivon and his partners on vacation.
