Soccer - The Red Devils Win the Cup

The joy lived up to the anticipation. After several years of striving, the Diables Rouges Football Club managed to win the Saint-Barthélemy Cup. On Saturday, March 7, at the Saint-Jean Stadium, the “Rougets” defeated their opponents, the defending champions FC Arawaks, by a score of five to three (5-3). However, the final did not start particularly well for the Diables.
The only undefeated team since the start of the season, FC Diables Rouges was quickly stifled by the Arawaks’ tactics. Positioned high up the field, the Arawaks caught the Diables off guard, who conceded the first goal of the match. Although they managed to regroup and equalize, the Diables struggled to establish their rhythm. Worse still, just moments after tying the score with the Arawaks, they conceded a second goal. At halftime, it was therefore the defending cup (and league) champions who headed into the locker room with the lead (2-1).
When they returned to the field to start the second half, the Red Devils showed a completely different side than in the first 45 minutes. They beat the Arawaks at their own game by pushing higher up the field. A change that quickly paid off. Dominating the match, the Diables scored four goals to take a 5-2 lead. Despite these four crushing blows, the Arawaks remained combative until the end of the match. They were unable to pull the score level but, in stoppage time, found the net on a final free kick. They lost, but with panache.
On the field, the FC Diables Rouges players were jubilant. The celebration also took place in the stands, which were packed for this final night. Earlier, in the opening match, AS Gustavia and ASPSB had also put on a great show during the “third-place” match. Tied after regulation time (2-2), the two teams went to a penalty shootout. In that contest, Gustavia proved to be the stronger side.
Now, a three-week break begins for the four clubs of Saint-Barthélemy. Afterward, they’ll kick off the league season. For the Red Devils, there’s the inevitable desire to build on last Saturday’s victory by winning the cup-league double. A new challenge to take on.

The Red Devils
Aleksandar Marinkovic, Amaro Balsamo, Maxime Chevreul, Enzo Dobrowolski, Hugo Leite, Christopher Avy, Léo Mosca, Ruben De Sousa, Théo Lecointre, Tom Dugarry, Alexis Fouda, Jules Marot, Lucas Savona, Lucas Pacaut, Clément Gomis Dacosta, Baptiste Hutteau, and Damien Noto.

Individual Awards
During the awards ceremony, two Red Devils players were honored. Tom Dugarry was named the tournament’s top scorer, and Clément Gomis was named best goalkeeper.

Standings
1st FC Diables Rouges
2nd: FC Arawaks
3rd: AS Gustavia