The reigning French floorball champion Paris Université Club managed to hold on to its title last Sunday after a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory in the final against the local rival IFK Paris. The match hero was a young Norwegian, Simen Langsholt, who scored both of PUC’s goals and set the enthusiastic crowd of spectators on fire in an unforgettable event.
The French final weekend was played in Paris at the Biancotto sports hall on 5.-6.4.2008. Play-offs followed an exceptionally tight regular season that left all three top teams undefeated with IFK in 14 and Marseille Rascasses and PUC in 13 points. Fourth team to qualify for the semi-finals, Pirates du Rhône from Lyon, gathered a total of 8 points.
IFK Paris, after equalizing within the last 5 seconds against both Marseille and PUC in their regular season duels in February, was the clear favorite for the title with its organized and well-developed team tactics and individual skills.
The first semi-final on Saturday was played between IFK and Lyon. IFK stormed into the final with an impressive 5-0 victory over the promising Lyonnais side. Elegant play making from Linus Davidsson, elected as the best player of the season, along with a solid game from IFK defense and the goalkeeper Benjamin Meynard were the decisive factors in the victory.
Despite their defeat, Lyon is expected to be a serious contestant for the title next season with its well-developed team play and rising young individuals like Florent Rivoire and the French national team defender Vincent Grieu.
The second semi-final was a retake from last year’s final with a heated clash between Marseille and PUC. The intense game appealed to the crowd and sent PUC into the final with again a narrow 2-1 margin. With the supporters of both teams creating an outstanding atmosphere, the game was a good promotion for the young sport in France.
Below: Michael Samper, the President of PUC omnisport, opens the game with a face-off against IFK´s Linus Davidsson
Marseille, strong with its experienced French national team players and future stars like Vincent Kernacker, gave a tough opponent but was unable to capitalize in the end against the solid Parisian defense. PUC goalkeeper Gilles Bizot, now a record-breaking three-time French champion, was the man of the match and sealed the victory with some crucial saves, amongst them clearing a break-through just 15 seconds before the final whistle.
The final was played on Sunday, and it was a worthy climax for the season. IFK and PUC both played tight defense, and while PUC relied mainly on counter attacks, IFK was more dominant with the ball for the majority of the first two periods. After an even third period, and as the overtime began, it was PUC who was able to shift yet another gear. Finally, with just 2.30 remaining, an accurate shot of Simen Langsholt went in and sealed the second consecutive championship for PUC.
PUC Floorball became the second team in history to win the French championship twice with Marseille Rascasses that captured the title in 2005 and 2006. For IFK, it was their third disappointing final in four years. In the bronze game, Marseille Rascasses defeated Pirates du Rhône from Lyon 4-2.
French floorball championships have been played since 2005. This year, 9 teams from all over France participated in the battle for the title. The number of floorball players and teams is growing steadily, much thanks to the active work of the French Federation to spread the sport in one of the major countries in Europe. The French national team is participating in the World Championships in division C in Slovakia later this month, and is amongst the squads to challenge the host Slovaks in the hunt for a ticket to division B.
Statistics and reports (in French)
http://www.francefloorball.com/
text & pictures: Henri Kähönen/Paris
