Biggest ever upset? The French giant-killers aiming to down PSG

When Paris Saint-Germain take on Stade Briochin, a fourth-tier club that has almost escaped extinction in the Coupe de France, in a match against them in a bizarre setting, on Wednesday, they will face a new team.

In each of the previous three rounds, Stade Briochin has defeated higher-level foes, with Ligue 1 Nice taking the dramatic victory in the last-16. Le Havre, a former champion in December, was the same fate as Le Havre.

Hugo Boudin, a centre-back for Stade Briochin against Nice, scored an equalizer in the eighth minute before scoring the winner in stoppage time.

The final whistle prompted a pitch invasion at the 11, 000-capacity Stade Fred-Aubert in Brittany. It is a memory that will never fade for Stade Briochin coach Guillaume Allanou, whose 30-year association with the organization began in 1932.

“My first thought at this moment when all the fans were on the pitch was to search for my players,” Allanou tells BBC Sport. “I wanted to be with my staff and my players just together to celebrate this great moment.

” It was unbelievable. We were like we didn’t belong to us. It was crazy, emotional. It’s difficult to explain in words. “

Stade Briochin became a member of the great Coupe de France upsets following the result of Nice.

They are in good company, joining US Quevily, third-tier conquerors of Marseille in the 2012 quarter-finals, and Les Herbiers, another third division club who beat RC Lens on their way to the 2018 final. At the last hurdle, PSG came close to a fairytale run.

Fourth-tier Calais famously made it to the final in 2000, beating reigning Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux in the semis, before losing to Nantes while US Jeanne d’Arc Carquefou, from the fifth level of French football, beat top-tier sides Nancy and Marseille to make the quarter-finals in 2008.

PSG, again, were the side to put an end to their run.

Allanou thinks that Stade Briochin would surpass all other giant-killings if it can surpass Les Herbiers and defeat Parisiens.

“These clubs have produced a great story in the Coupe de France, but if we can beat Paris St-Germain, it will be the biggest upset in French football history,” Allanou states.

” Nobody can beat PSG in France, or even in Europe. Imagine if Stade Briochin had done this, then. I can’t dream of that – if it happens, it will be amazing. “

Allanou’s history in football has been closely intertwined with that of Stade Briochin. As a teenage defender in the mid-1990s he played during the club’s short-lived spell in Ligue 2 – the highest level they have reached.

Due to the fact that Stade Briochin was forced to leave after being liquidated, the experience was bittersweet.

” It’s like a story of love with this club, “he explains”. My life is heavily influenced by the club. All the good and bad things I’ve experienced in this club and here, have made me who I am today.

When I first started playing in Ligue 2, I was young, and it was a great, but brief, experience. When I arrived for training one day, I was told, “No, there is no club any more, you can’t train.” I just wanted to play football”.

Thankfully, Stade Briochin were resurrected and Allanou had three separate spells at the club as a player, eventually ending his career there at the end of the 2013-14 season.

The association continued post-retirement and Allanou is now Stade Briochin’s coach and their president. He joined some other former players to help the club when it once more experienced difficult times and was forced to fold entirely.

In the Brittany town of Saint-Brieuc, cup fever has certainly descended. On Saturday, Allanou and his players met fans in the town centre, where the shops have been decked out in the team’s yellow and blue colours.

In a blow to the French football romantics, however, the match against PSG will take place at Roazhon Park, the home of Ligue 1 side Rennes. Although Saint-Brieuc is only an hour away, the 30-seat stadium’s cost makes filling it a reasonable choice.

We wanted to stage a big game because we wanted this to be a big party, Allanou says. “It’s a great atmosphere in the town.

It will be the match of their lives for all of my players. As a coach, the challenge is to make sure they aren’t afraid to play against these powerful players.

“I just want them to play as I can,” he said.

PSG has scored 94 goals in all competitions this season under the direction of fearsome France forwards Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

Following a 10-0 aggregate defeat of Brest in the Champions League, Luis Enrique’s side will now travel to Stade Briochin for the Stade Briochin game, while their 3-2 victory over Lyon placed them 13 points clear of the leaders of the table.

“It is a big mountain for us”, Allanou says. “PSG is probably the best team in the world right now.” This team has done a very good job thanks to Luis Enrique. Because PSG has a real identity as a team, I have a lot of admiration for him.

To turn to, Allanou has a number of seasoned players. Former France U20 international Franck L’Hostis and defensive midfielder Guillaume Beghin both started their careers at Lens, while center-back Benjamin Angouna, who played for Guingamp and has 15 senior caps for the Ivory Coast, have both won senior caps for the Ivory Coast.

Captain James le Marer is next. Le Marer, 33, will retire at the end of this season and has displayed a level of loyalty that Paolo Maldini and Ryan Giggs would be proud of.

Whatever happens to PSG, the Stade Briochin skipper’s fairytale wansong has still been in charge of the Under-16 team. Le Marer appears to be on the verge of imitating Allanou’s enduring association with the Brittany outfit.

Allanou says, “James has a particular story with the club like I do.” He has been a part of this organization since he was 13 years old, and he will end his career this year.

“I’m happy that he can live this with me and all the other players because it’s his biggest match of his life,” he said.