The players of Paris Saint-Germain won for the second consecutive season the U19 national challenge, again against Olympique Lyonnais, while Montpellier won the final Excellence against Vendenheim, two finals that decided on shooting-in -buts.


On the lawn of Firmin Daudou stadium Trélissac, the U19 season ended this weekend with the finals "Elite" and "Excellence" of the national challenge. As a reminder, the "Elite" challenge brings together the twelve best teams at the end of the first phase, and so the final puts face-to-face the two best teams of the season. The "Excellence" challenge brings together the twenty-four other teams participating in the National Challenge and who have not managed to qualify for the "Elite" challenge and therefore compete for the "Excellence" challenge.


Vendenheim came close to the feat


The two finals were held today with the opening of the Excellence Challenge final between Montpellier and Vendenheim. Both teams had qualified for the final after winning their semi respectively against Soyaux and Dijon.


A match that on paper could seem unbalanced with the presence of Montpellier, accustomed to play the leading roles against Paris and Lyon and who this season, failed to qualify for the challenge Elite, ahead in his group by Marseille and Saint-Etienne. Reversed in the challenge Excellence, the players of Herault announced themselves as the grandissimes favorites.


But this afternoon, Montpellier finally had to wait for the shooting session to make the difference. Twice the Montpellier took the lead by Lisa Martinez from the lead on corner (28th), then by Nerilla Mondésir (61st) to conclude a very good move initiated by Chloé Baudain, the Herault captain. But each time Vendenheim came back, two goals scored by Madeline Roth (59th and 87th) for the Alsatian team.


More comfortable in the game, Montpellier failed to take off as in the semi-final against Soyaux and Vendenheim had the opportunity to remove the title at the MHSC. If it is Chloe Baudain who misses the first shot-on-goal shot on the bar, Marie Perrotte and Lena Issenhuth will see their attempts stopped by Blandine Joly, the goalkeeper of Montpellier and that allows his team to win the trophy.


Paris stunning against Lyon


A score of 2-2 and a decision-shots-goals, it is the same outcome that experienced Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais who found themselves for the grand finale of the challenge U19. Paris, title holder, with a final won against the same Olympique Lyonnais last season. On the lawn of Trélissac, they were also two Parisian players to have made the trip to Cardiff, Lina Boussaha and Sana Daoudi who had attended the final lost by PSG from the bench.


This time, the two U19 internationals were well on the field, in a match where Paris conceded two goals in the first half hour, after a start of balanced match where both teams quickly put forward their qualities. In the first ten minutes, Audrey Dupupet had to intervene twice to deflect dangerous balls for a corner. But in the 17th minute, Melvine Malard opened the scoring for OL, she took over a Marine Cochelin center right side. She takes advantage of a bad replacement of the Parisian defense and concludes quietly in six meters Paris.


Less than ten minutes later, Selma Bacha increased Lyon's lead with a very good 18-meter free-kick which finished close to the left post close to the skylight and out of reach of Romane Salvador (24th).

An ideal start of the OL able to quickly put away a Parisian team struggling to find good positions of strikes. But PSG reassures with a better end of the first half and returns to the score before the break. A goal signed Lina Boussaha, following a center that the Lyon defense can not clear. More prompt than her counterparts, Lina Boussaha can rely on Camelia Toumi who gives him the ball, and Boussaha can chain a control and a shot that misleads Dupupet on his left (35th).


Paris finishes better, even if the players of the capital remains exposed to the counter Lyon, in particular following losses of ball in their own camp. At the return of the locker room, the match retains its face with Paris who stopped to undergo the game Lyon and is more comfortable.


Romane Salvador took over from Lina Boussaha


From the 50th minute, Lina Boussaha brings her team up on an action entitled by Ourny Bayo. A ball deep to Sandie Baltimore left side, which takes the best of Melvine Malard and then center in the area. Boussaha's shot was diverted by Dupupet but Boussaha followed and in a second time managed to send the ball to the back of the net.


In the second half, Audrey Dupupet will multiply the interventions to avoid his team to be led to score. Multiple interventions to which must be added a Thelma Eninger's head that touches the left post Lyon (86th). The few counter Lyon maintain the danger on the goal of Romane Salvador, but it is good that Paris could have removed the game before the final whistle.


The penalty shootout begins with a first failure, that of Lina Boussaha, double scorer but who sees his shot stopped by Dupupet. But in this session, it is Romane Salvador who will triumph with a total of four missed attempts Lyon side, three stopped by the goalkeeper Ile-de-France. In the end, she scored the sixth shot-to-goal in Paris before Lorena Azzaro sent the ball into the air.


Paris won (2-2, 3-2 tab) and won his second consecutive title in the category, after an afternoon followed closely by Gilles Eyquem the coach of the France U19 team, who is waiting for the last results of the Qualifying Tour Elite and therefore the participation or not of the Bleuettes to the next Euro in Northern Ireland next August. A tournament where some of the players who played this afternoon could / should be present.