This Saturday, at the Stade de France, the purple team is playing the final of the Coupe de France against Nantes, after 66 years. The Chilean national team has the opportunity to enter the exclusive and reduced group of nationals who have been champions in this country.
For some time, Paris Saint-Germain has become the lord and master of French football. Any national competition has the mighty club of Qatari capitals in the pole position (which cannot be replicated at the continental level). However, one or the other surprise slips through and leaves the Parisians empty-handed. One of these exceptions is linked to the Coupe de France 2022-2023, whose finalists are traditional castings but not one of the most important in the country.
This Saturday, in the emblematic Stade de France, Toulouse faces Nantes, at 3:00 p.m. in Chile. Gabriel Suazo has a golden opportunity to add his first title since arriving in Europe, what happened this year. The national team, once a midfielder and now a consolidated left-back, had expressed their intention to reach the Old Continent. Now, with less than 20 games played for his club, he can have his first celebration.
Everything was swift in the footballer’s transition to one of Europe’s big five leagues. In January, he signed with the Violets as a free agent, after not renewing with Colo Colo. The move came as a surprise, coinciding with the change in his representation, which sparked controversy when Alan Silberman accused his new agent, Fernando Felicevich, of stealing his representation. Beyond the bickering, Suazo has established itself as a starting piece for coach Philippe Montanier.
Since his arrival, he has played 16 games, including 13 from the start. Add 1,155 minutes played, which gives an average of 72′ per game. He has only one goal, precisely for the Cup, in the 6-1 victory against Rodez on March 1. A significant fact indicates that The Chilean is the greatest winner of national cups in the Toulouse workforce. He won three Copa Chile with the Cacique: 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Suazo will not be alone. He received a special visit from his parents. For this reason, he left a moving message on his networks. “Who I am today is thanks to you, you sacrificed your whole life for us, for our family and now all I want is to make you happy. Thank you for being here to enjoy my dream,” he said.
If he obtains a good result this Saturday, the player trained in Macul will be able to join the exclusive and reduced list of champions of Chile in France. To date there are four, although none have won the Coupe de France. Those who initiated Chile’s successes in falo football were Ignacio Prieto and Alberto Fouillioux, champions of Ligue 2 (second division) in 1974 with Lille. Much more recent are the achievements of Pablo Contreras, who won two trophies with Monaco: the 99-00 championship and the 2000 Supercup. the last was Marco Estrada, winner of Ligue 1 11-12 with Montpellier.
This campaign is historic for Toulouse, as they returned to the Coupe de France final after 66 years. The great title that the club has in its history dates back to 1956-1957, when it beat Angers 6-3. “A win would mean a lot for me, for the club, of course. To bring the Cup back would be wonderful. We represent a club, a city, a region. We are focused, the players are quite relaxed. The group is living it well, it doesn’t not change”, declared DT Montanier, during the previous press conference.
Besides, being champion would allow him to have a place in the next Europa League a continental showcase which, from all points of view, seduces Suazo and company.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
