Arras + Adeilson

By: Martha | January 5th, 2009

There’s allegedly football being played in the first part of this clip. I have my doubts.

Arras 1 – 3 Nice
Buts: Bellatrêche (52è) pour Arras; Ben Saada (48è), Modeste (110è), Bamogo (113è pen) pour Nice

Arras: Lambenne – De Barros, Daval, Lombard, Delépine – Bellatrêche (c), Duchateau (Diarra, 99è), Luyssen (Lamourette, 109è), Hadjal – Catelet (Bellaredj, 63è), Robail

Nice: Letizi – Apam, Hognon, Cid, Rool (c; Gace, 115è) – Jeunechamp, Traoré (Hellebuyck, 71è), Ben Saada – Quansah (Bamogo, 58è), Modeste, Mouloungui

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I was going to wait to write up the Arras match until I’d watched it, but since the official site seems to have decided there’s no point in uploading something no one can see, it looks like I’m not actually going to be able to do that.

So, to sum up what everyone probably already knows, conditions where shocking (frozen pitch, crazy thick fog), so much so that that referee briefly stopped the match, and only allowed it go to on after Antonetti and Captain Cyril #1 — who was apparently just immense for the 115 minutes he was on the pitch — unleashed their legendary powers of persuasion on him. It was literally almost impossible to see what was going on throughout most of the 90 minutes, but both teams scored (so we’re told, anyway), and it wasn’t until the fog lifted in added time that Nice were able to really assert their superiority, in the form of two more goals, and secure a place in the next round.

A next round in which they will play — wait for it — Monaco. Sweet. The match will be played away, at the end of this month.

ETA: Ok, the match has been uploaded now. If I find some patience, I’ll watch it and write a more detailed response tomorrow.

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In other news, you may have heard Nice have quietly snapped up a new striker. His name is Pereira de Mello Adeilson (that’s just Adeilson to us, because he’s merciful like that), he’s 23, cost €1 million from Brazilian club Ipatinga and, if you believe the French press, the club beat out at least Bayer Leverkusen for his signature; they’ve secured his services for three-and-a-half years.

According to Roger Ricort, Adeilson wasn’t even his target when he went to Brazil to scout, but he played so well that Nice turned their attention to him and totally forgot about the nameless opponent they had traveled to see. As you’d expect, there’s a lot of optimism about the guy in the Nice camp, from his size and ability — there’s a pretty sweet goal here — to his personality, and the way he carries himself (Ricort compared him to Ederson, which is high praise indeed), but obviously he’s got everything to prove.

Right now, by Adeilson’s own admission, he’s behind on fitness because he’s coming off a three-week vacation, so it’ll probably be a while before we get to see him in action.