The Coupe de France is always an opportunity to discover teams that remain mostly in the shadows, far from the "big competitions" and the center of attention. This weekend, Coeurs de Foot was in Pierrelaye in the Val d'Oise to watch the match between FC Parisis and FC Lillers.

We find both teams at Pierrelaye municipal stadium. No tribune but a larger audience than usual. Families, many young people from clubs and children in general but also supporters of Lillers who made the trip in the Paris region. Banner and a good atmosphere among the few dozen people present for this match.

Parisis, a little poucet and a past
FC Parisis hosting the game is currently evolving in Promotion of Honor, the fifth division. The club is even red lantern of his hen. A paradox for this team that is part of the two PH teams to have reached the 32nd finals this season. The feat of the players of Val d'Oise took place in the first federal round, in the previous round, where they released Evreux which evolves in DH, two divisions higher.

A match played last December and remembered by Carole Sanson, one of the players of FC Parisis. A 1-0 win with "a goal [scored] in the first five minutes. The team had "really supported in the first fifteen minutes and then after (...) managed to hold on. ". A feat far from the performance in the league where the game of Parisis is "softer".

The Parisis players warm up before the start of the match

A Parisis club which in its genealogy has a link with the high level. A few years ago, the club Herblay was evolving in D2. The story was badly finished, with internal conflicts that had exploded the team, finally declared a loss for the 2012/2013 season and subsequently demoted to DHR. FC Parisis was born somewhere on the ashes of the club Herblay, since it is a merger between the clubs of Herblay and Pierrelaye, two neighboring municipalities. Sylvain Taleb, Vice President of FC Parisis, talks about a club that has been rebuilt "from below" with a priority given to the football school and the young people.

A job involving several players of the senior team, including Charlene Pihen, captain of Parisis for this match and also one of the leaders of youth teams in the club which now has a hundred licensees.

Lillers: "Regain on the D2"
Facing Parisis, FC Lillers appeared as a tough opponent. Currently in Inter-Regional Division, the club played in D2 last season. Tenth in Pool A, the club has come down to the lower level as well as Hénin-Beaumont, two teams currently competing for first place in Inter-Regional.

A passage of two seasons in D2 that confronted the club north has the need to be "very structured [with] financial means" higher than those currently available to the club. However, David Gabsi, Lillers' coach managed to keep the backbone of the team that played in D2 last season. A team that looks great with many players passed by Hénin-Beaumont and Arras mainly in a youth team.

The team includes former D1 players such as Aurélie Desmaretz who played six seasons in the elite with Henin or players who knew the French team in young people like Audrey Tabary, Ludivine Willems or Claire Levasseur. David Gabsi also talks about these players "in difficulty in their clubs" and who can come "revive", find "fun" and participate in building a team to return to D2 in a few years.

Among the players who come to revive Lillers, April Dubois is a good example. Passed by Hénin-Beaumont in U19, then by Templemars became the LOSC, she suffered long wounds and only a handful of matches of D2. Arriving this season at Lillers, she plays for the defensive midfielder. A position on the pitch that does not prevent him from scoring goals.

In the first twenty minutes of the game, Lillers quickly took the scoring four goals including three for April Dubois. She signed the opening penalty on the penalty in the 8th minute following a hand in the box. The number 6 nordiste mark then on corner, a shot in return that misleads Ludivine Floirac after the ball was deflected into the surface of Parisis (14th).

It is found at the conclusion on the fourth goal with a nice volley, always following a corner and leaving no chance to the keeper of Parisis (20th). Meanwhile, Audrey Tabary, captain of Lillers, had scored the third goal of his team (16th) following a good job of Ludivine Willems right side and a center of Carla Parquet.

" To have fun "
A first one-sided period with a team of Parisis quickly remote and dreams of exploits that move away for the players of Val d'Oise. After the meeting, Sébastien Anfray, the Parisis coach, will tell us that he had felt his players "a little bit stressed by the event from the beginning of the match". The stake, the magnitude of this thirty-second for players who discover this level of competition has, according to him, prevented his players from "relax" and "try to play".

The Parisis players remained on the pitch at half-time, to take stock and also enjoy the presence of supporters around the field

A difficulty all the more flagrant that Lillers was willing to quickly take the lead in making a big start to the game as we will say David Gabsi after the meeting. At the break, the players of FC Parisis remained on the pitch and we could hear Sebastien Anfray recall the importance of "take pleasure" in this match, enjoy the event and learn from a team anyway "very much above".

Despite the gap, this pleasure was at the rendezvous for the players of Parisis. As Carole Sanson will tell you, it's also the kind of match that "allows you to move forward". In difficulty, the players of Val d'Oise went to the end, pushed by their supporters. In the second half, the Parisians will even have the opportunity to reduce the mark including a face-to-face with Julie Pruvost for Caroline Dalyphard. The number 13 Parisis entered the second half finally falls on the keeper of Lillers (66th), before the ball miraculously came out in a corner.

On the edge of the pitch, the fans pushed both teams until the end of the match.

Some possibilities for Parisis, but in the second half Lillers further accentuate his advantage with goals from Anne-Sophie Papin penalty (64th), and two very beautiful strikes Audrey Tabary (56th) and Malvina Cabaret (91st) that end in each time in the right window of the FC Parisis.

The party continues
At the final whistle, the score of 7-0 reflects the gap between the two teams, although Parisis may have deserved to score a goal in this game. For Lillers, the club will have its first sixteenth-finals in the Coupe de France. The club had set the goal of reaching thirty-second, the draw allowed them to see the next round.

It is now a thing of the past, with the possibility of confronting the high level and why not confront the "big ones". A Cup without pressure and "more fun" for Aprile Dubois who sees this competition "less serious (...) and the goals of the championship (...) while trying to make the best game possible".

Using the Cup to progress in the league, it is now the equation for Parisis who plays Wednesday in the league with a maintenance operation for the Val d'Oise team. For players who train once or twice a week in Pierrelaye, these Cup matches are accelerated forms of learning. "Work matches" on which Sebastien Anfray wants to rely, more talking according to him to help the team to progress.

In the meantime, he ended the day serving with a cake of kings made by the coach of Parisis himself and shared with the fans at the end of the meeting. A way to extend the party before plunging into everyday life.