First for Mathieu van der Poel, OM still drops points, Toulouse and La Rochelle in the semi-finals… What to remember from the sports weekend
The Hell of the North has turned into a beautiful paradise for Canadian Allison Jackson, winner of the third edition for women, and Dutchman Mathieu van der Pol for men.
A wave of emotions this weekend on the sports grounds. Left aside for two years in the French team, Eugenie Le Sommer He fell into the arms of his coach Hervé Renard after his second goal against Colombia, Friday 7 April. Allison Jackson opted for a joyful dance on the arrival of the northern hell, while Mathieu van der Pol flaunted a furious fist with great flair. In the Champions Cup, the faces of Toulouse and La Rochelle shone in the meadow, after the two French clubs won the ticket to the quarter-finals. Finally, we warmly welcomed in the alleys of Bollaert-Delelis the fourth consecutive success of Sang et Or before facing Paris Saint-Germain next week, the Parisians who are also back on their feet.
If you haven’t caught up on the sports news this weekend, franceinfo: sport has picked out what you shouldn’t miss.
Paris-Roubaix: Mathieu van der Poel wins his first title
We can’t stop it anymore. Mathieu van der Pol single-handedly won the Paris-Roubaix match on Sunday 9 April, adding a fourth wicket to his list. Neck and neck with lifelong rival, Wout van Aert, the Dutchman took advantage of the Belgian holeshot fifteen kilometers from the finish line to escape to victory. Jasper Philipsen offered the double for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team after beating Van Aert in the final race.
Christophe Laporte, unlucky like fellow Belgian Jumbo-Visma, finished the race in 10th place after two gravel punctures.
Paris-Roubaix: Allison Jackson, Queen of the Northern Ways
After fighting in the mud and on the cobblestones, it was finally on the parquet floor of the Roubaix circuit that the victory of this third edition of the Paris-Roubaix women’s race took place. In the race, Canada’s Allison Jackson, a member of the EF Education-Tibco-SVB Team, held off a group of seven riders from the breakaway. Thus, the 34-year-old cyclist claims a first title in Canada on both the men’s and women’s classics. Note that none of the favorites appeared in the final escape, slowing down several times.
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Frenchman Eugénie Duval (FDJ Suez) and Marion Bouras (St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93), also in the lead group, He finished 4th and 5th respectively in the classic race, leading to a set-up Best French result in the women’s race.
Champions Cup: Stade Toulouse and Stade Rochela in the semi-finals
They made short work of the Sharks. And the Toulousein stadium, by defeating South African County 54 to 20, opened the way to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup. Last season, the giants faltered in this penultimate stage against Leinster. The reunion has already been announced: heading to Dublin at the end of the month to compete for a place in the final against the Irish.
The semi-final ticket was also composted for Stade Rochela, top scorer Saracens (24-10) on Sunday. The defending champion was able to count on the good footing of Antoine Hastoy, the competition’s top scorer (73 points), and my attempt. New Zealander Tawera Kerr Barlow, for making a difference. The Maritimes, who are surfing to their 14th successive Champions Cup victory, will find the English from Exeter in the semi-finals.
Ligue 1: Marseille sign the wrong operation
The confrontation between Lens and Marseille took a new turn this weekend. Of the two teams behind Paris Saint-Germain, which aspires to second place synonymous with direct qualification for the next Champions League, the northern club is the one who did the right thing. By beating Strasbourg at the start of the day (2-1 on Friday), Sang-Aur’s side put pressure on OM, who had to take all three points to stay level.
But Igor Tudor’s players were disappointed by their silence in Lorient on Sunday night, and settled for an embarrassing 0-0 draw. Eight days from the finish, they’re a little behind their main rival (two points), but that could be important at the finish line. In terms of hoping for a battle for the French champion title, fans seem to be telling the Fougeres, who are now down to eight lengths from Saturday’s Nice winner Paris Saint-Germain (2-0).
France v Colombia: The Bleues stunner at the premiere of Hervé Renard on the bench
France’s new coach, Hervé Renard, may have hoped for a quieter start, but he did get his first win. French national team beat ColombiaFriday, April 7, in a friendly match at Gabriel Moonpid Stadium in Claremont (5-2). Led by two goals after returning from the locker room, the Frenchman turned the game around ten minutes before the hour mark.
After two years of absence, the banned Eugenie Le Sommer (175 caps and 88 goals), the best scorer in the history of the Blues, achieved a resounding double (56 and 59) just as Delphine Cascarino (51 and 73). First success in coach’s uniform for Hervé Renard, just over three months before the World Cup.
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