Evian look to cap meteoric rise in Cup final

PARIS (AFP) –

Evian captain Olivier Sorlin acknowledges fans after their French Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain, on April 18, 2013. Evian will be looking to cap their meteoric rise to the top of French football with a first major trophy when they face Bordeaux in Friday’s Cup final.

Unfancied Evian will be looking to cap their meteoric rise to the top of French football with a first major trophy when they face Bordeaux, traditionally one of the country’s most successful clubs, in Friday’s French Cup final.

This will be a first ever national Cup final for the club from the shores of Lake Geneva, and the biggest moment yet in their brief but successful history.

They have just completed their second season in Ligue 1, avoiding relegation only on the last day, so come into the game at the Stade de France as outsiders.

Indeed, when Bordeaux last won the Ligue 1 title, in 2009, Evian were playing in the amateur fourth tier, but the backing of food processing multinational Danone has helped the club from the shadow of some of France’s tallest mountains to scale the heights since then.

Now Evian, who play their games 80 kilometres away in Annecy because they lack a stadium of their own, stand just one win away from European qualification.

Tunisia’s Saber Khlifa is pictured during an Africa Cup of Nations match in Rustenburg, on January 22, 2013. Khilfa has only fully emerged this season, scoring 13 goals in French Ligue 1, including a remarkable strike from inside his own half against Nice recently.

“Playing in Europe was not an objective when I arrived at the club,” said veteran captain Olivier Sorlin, who signed for Evian in 2010, when they were in Ligue 2.

“But the most important thing is that we win the final. Winning some silverware would be great for a club as young as us.”

Evian have enjoyed a remarkable Cup run, beating Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the quarter-finals before hammering Lorient 4-0 in the semis.

Their squad arrived in Paris on Wednesday, with Tunisian international forward Saber Khlifa their biggest threat.

Shortly before joining Evian, Khlifa found himself on loan at Libyan club Al-Ahly Benghazi when revolution broke out in the country in 2011.

Khlifa was trapped in a hotel in the city for several days before finding a car that took him across the border into Egypt and on to safety.

He then joined Evian, but has only fully emerged this season, scoring 13 Ligue 1 goals including a remarkable strike from inside his own half against Nice recently.

Bordeaux forward Cheick Diabate, pictured during their French Ligue 1 match against Evian, on May 26, 2013. Bordeaux have struggled for goals this season but will look to Diabate for inspiration, with the giant Malian having netted eight times in his last eight games.

In contrast to Evian, Bordeaux have a long and proud history, and have won the French Cup three times, although the last of those triumphs came in 1987.

Les Girondins finished seventh in an underwhelming league campaign, so winning the French Cup and qualifying for next season’s Europa League is essential.

“We have an experienced team, and some have already played at the Stade de France,” said Bordeaux coach Francis Gillot.

“We just need to make sure we produce our best on the pitch. If we do that then I think that will be enough. We absolutely have to win this final.”

Bordeaux have struggled for goals this season but will look to Cheick Diabate for inspiration, with the giant Malian having netted eight times in his last eight games.

He scored both goals when Bordeaux beat Evian 2-1 at home on the final day of the league season last Sunday.

The Friday evening kick-off for the final means there is unlikely to be a full house at the 80,000-capacity Stade de France.

The game is usually staged on a Saturday but had to be moved to avoid a clash with the final of French rugby’s Top 14 season between Toulon and Castres.

“Playing on a Friday is rubbish. It’s an aberration. People work on a Friday,” said an unhappy Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud.