Thomas Brémond, 25, a central defender and carpenter for Vendée Fontenay Foot, is preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 32 of the Coupe de France. In an interview with Ouest-France, relayed by Le Parisien, he recounts the incredible emotion his team experienced after an almost surreal run.
Brémond: “There was an explosion of joy”
“There was an explosion of joy, we were hugging each other and celebrating, it was crazy. An hour before, during training, we were saying to each other: imagine if we drew PSG, it would be incredible… And the dream came true. I hardly slept a wink last night. I thought about so many things, especially our journey.”
Brémond: “We’ve come a long way to experience this fabulous moment.”
“We qualified in the 5th round after a 40-minute penalty shootout against Cholet, then we did it again, this time on penalties against Chamalières in the 6th round, before eliminating Châteauroux (National) last Saturday after being down 1-0. We’ve come a long way to experience this fabulous moment. It’s magical!”
The story told by Thomas Brémond exudes the pure magic of the Coupe de France, where amateur players become, for one night, the heroes of an extraordinary epic. When Fontenay eliminated Cholet on the 40th penalty shootout, then survived against Chamalières, the team seemed destined to experience impossible scenarios. Châteauroux finally confirmed this impression: down 1-0, the Vendée team overturned a National club to write a memorable chapter in their history.
Brémond, who spends his days on construction sites before lacing up his boots, admits he “barely slept” because the draw against Paris Saint-Germain had shaken him so much. In the locker room, the explosion of joy was uncontrollable. For him and his teammates, hosting PSG isn’t just a match: it’s a reward, the realization of a dream that only the Cup can offer.
