Bordeaux opened the score at the 38th minute. Following a deep pass from defender Marc Planus, defender Benoit Tremoulinas overwhelmed the defense on the left flank, before executing a cross for Fernando Cavenaghi. The Bordeaux forward beat goalkeeper Stéphane Trévisan to the near post to his right.
Bordeaux midfielder Fernando Menegazzo scored the insurance goal at the 90th minute. Following a free kick by midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, which bounced off the post, Menegazzo jumped on the rebound from the edge of the 6-yard area with a strike that left no chance to goalkeeper Trévisan.
Newcomer Cédric Carrasso signed the clean sheet in his debut match in front of the Bordeaux goal after facing four shots.
“I was very satisfied with the outcome because the only important thing today was to win,” said Bordeaux head coach Laurent Blanc. “We didn’t win easily, but we definitely deserved the victory. I hope that this result will bode well for our upcoming championship.”
“We created various scoring occasions and we scored early on in the match, mentioned FC Girondins de Bordeaux midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, who was named Setanta Sports Player of the Match. We will be able to finish our training in Canada in good spirits. We are still in a preparation phase, so not everything is perfect, but I think that we sought to play today, in addition to posting a solid defense. We adapted well to the artificial surface and this was favourable for our passing game.”
“I think that we measured up to the event, but we rubbed against a very good opponent that made us run, said Guingamp head coach Victor Zvunka. “I’m happy with the way we were greeted by the organizers. Everything went well during our five days here, except the loss.”
With a crowd of 34,068 spectators, the previous attendance record of 30,529 spectators, set in the 2006 edition of the competition, was shattered.
“The event was a huge success,” mentioned Impact Executive Vice President Richard Legendre. “We had important challenges to organize the event in a two-month period, notably the fact that the Champions Trophy wasn’t very know from the start. Today we were treated to a very competitive match. Bordeaux was very happy to win and Guingamp, very disappointed to lose. Needless to say that Olympic Stadium is a good soccer stadium.”
The match was televised in French, in Canada on Radio-Canada; in France on Direct 8; and in over 200 countries on TV5Monde. Various TV stations worldwide likewise broadcasted the match: Tyc Sports in Argentina; Al Jazeera Sports in the Arab world; Multi TV in Ghana; SATV in Nigeria; Sport.Ro in Romania; TRK Football in Ukraine; and Nova Sports in Greece.
FC Girondins de Bordeaux will play a second game in Montreal against the Impact, Tuesday, at 7:30 pm (CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, radio-canada.ca/sports). Excellent tickets are still available for this match through Admission (514-790-1245 / admission.com) or at the ticketing office of Saputo Stadium. Ticket prices range between $10 and $30 (taxes included).
The Impact plays tonight against the Austin Aztex, at Nelson Field, in Texas at 8:30 pm (USLlive.com).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
45th minute – Following a deep pass from Bordeaux Geraldo Wendel, offensive midfielder Yoann Gourcuff went alone against the goalkeeper in the 6-yard area and fired a high shot just above the Guingamp goal.
64th minute - Following a ground pass from Gourcuff on the right flank, midfielder Jaroslav Plasil unleashed a powerful shot to the near post from the edge of the box that went just to the right of the goal.
80th minute - Forward Yoan Gouffran took a right footed shot from inside the box that went to the right of the Guingamp goal.
STATS
PHOTOS PÉPÉ AT OLYMPIC STADIUM
-30-
Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668
