FC Metz v Monaco 1984: The steel final – Part Two

To celebrate les Grenats’ return to Ligue 2, Sharkfoot is offering an FC Metz special this week, which will end with the publication of a webdocumentary on the club’s youth centre. 

The draw for the round of 16 was kind to FC Metz, who avoided the other Ligue 1 teams. Besançon, who are now in the second division of the Franche-Comté regional league – the equivalent of the 7th division – were at the time what is now Ligue 2. In goal for the Bisontin club was a certain Bernard Lama, on loan from Lille. In the first leg, in front of a crowd of fewer than 3,000, les Grenats did the hard work, scoring three in the first half and ending with a four-goal advantage to take into the second leg. The return match was a formality, Hinschberger equalising just before full time to keep the club’s run going.

On March 29 1984, the socialist government revised the Plan Acier (steel Plan) and announced the loss of 21,000 more jobs. Fury – but above all the sentiment of a massive betrayal – was felt throughout the region. The Plan meant the end for the Pompey steelworks, a third of the jobs at the Gandrange factory and in particular sounded the death knell for the steelworks of Longwy. Coincidence (or not), it was also in March 1984 that the British miners’ strike began, in protest at Margaret Thatcher’s decisions. Nigel Lawson, one of her ministers, was quick to say that the eradication of the miners was as much a priority as was the necessity for rearmament in the face of the Nazi menace in the 1930s !

The Lorraine was angry. A general strike was decreed, to take place on April 4. 150,000 people took to the streets of the region to demonstrate. In the face of the mounting crisis, loyalty for Lorraine took precedence over socio-professional loyalties. A whole region mobilised to go to Paris to demonstrate on April 13 1984. Tens of thousands of workers of the region travelled to the capital to express their exasperation, their fury and their will to survive.

To Paris !

It was in this climate that the Coupe de France quarter final was played (on April 4 and 12). This time, the draw, produced a leading team from the leading division. Laval was a serious opponent. The club, managed by Michel Lemillinaire, was basking in its most glorious period. The previous September, they achieved an epic victory over Dynamo Kiev with a goal from José Souto (who began his career at Metz) in the second leg.

In front of 6,000 supporters at the Stade St Symphorien, the Grenats welcomed the Lavallois, who were not going to go down without a fight. The Messins kept pushing though, and made the breakthrough in the 67nd minute, through Tony Kurbos. The Lorrains took that lead with them to the Stade Francis Le Basser on April 12. In front of a crowd of 14,000, Oumar Gueye Sène opened the scoring in the 20th minute. But despite the Tangos’ domination, Hinschberger (40th minute) and Kurbos (69th minute) destroyed ended the hopes of the Mayonnais team. The end of the match was particularly tempestuous, as referee Mr Delmer sent off Colombo and Séné at the same time.

The draw saw Nantes confirmed as the semi-final opponent. The first leg took place at the Stade Marcel Saupin, which hosted its final match a few days later against Saint-Etienne, before closing its gates for the final time. Surprisingly, it was Hinschberger who opened the first leg scoring in the 57th minute, beating the offside trap and shooting through the legs of Bertrand Demanes. The Canaris still had half an hour left to come back, and laid seige to Ettore’s goal. The young Messins were unable to hold out : Valid Halihodzic (77th minute) and Gérard Buscher (89th minute) hand the victory to the team in yellow. Between the two legs, the Grenats built up their confidence with two league wins : 3-0 against Lens and a superb win at Nimes, with 6 goals from Tony Kurbos

Act II took place on May 5 in front of 22,039 supporters. After a nervous start to the match, the Lorrains took control and began to dominate. The breakthrough came from Hinschberger, who received the ball just outside the area. His shot took the defence by surprise and hit the back of the Canaris’ net. As things stood, FC Metz were in the final. The stadium was in delirium, the crowd beside themselves with delight. There was, however, still one more half to get through. But FC Nantes were struggling to deal with the high-pressing game arranged by Kasperzcak and it was only in the last 15 minutes that they began to threaten, Ettore showing all his skills to keep his goal unbreached. Mr Quiniou finally blew for full time. For the first time since 1938, FC Metz had qualified for the Coupe de France final.

A one-sided looking final

A few days after its public demonstration of desperation, the Lorraine was back in the capital. The Messins « rose » to Paris, carried by a whole region, which had become a victim of numerous social plans and job losses. Strange quirk of fate, FC Metz were up against a « Princely » club, AS Monaco, a classic case of David against Goliath. Public enthusiasm was such that demand for tickets far exceeded the Lorraine team’s allocation. The media greatly promoted the team, the region’s spearhead. « Sometimes, hard work and courage can beat money », exclaimed Carlo Molinari on the main evening news

The team managed by Lucien Muller had just lost the championship in the final match of hte season. Despite a 3-0 win over Nantes, the team of the Principality ended with the same number of points as Bordeaux but missed out on the title due to a poorer goal difference (+28 against +38.

The gap between the two finalists was vast, the on-paper quality of one team not even close to the other ; Monaco fielded nine internationals, compared to just one on the Messin side. But, unfortunately for them, the loss of the championship affected their mental state for the final. Players such as Donimique Bijotat, Daniel Bravo, Bernard Genghini and Bruno Bellone were never able to put the heroic Metz defence under any serious pressure. The tactical organisation put in place by the wily Kasperzcak, or lack of motivation from a group of stars who maybe thought that the match was won in advance, against a poorer team (Monaco had beaten Metz 4-0 at home in the championship, before drawing at St Symphorien) ? The Monaco players had possession for the great majority of the match, but the team supposedly renowned for attractive football instead got bogged down with hopeful up-and-unders and intercepted passes.

In contrast, Metz stuck to their game and waited for their moment. They took the Monégasques to extra time before cutting loose. The season’s two scorers, Philippe Hinschberger et Tony Kurbos, both beat goalkeeper Jean Luc Ettori. When Mr Vautrot blew for the final whistle, 45,000 supporters in the stadium, but also the whole of the Lorraine region, burst with joy, a magical moment when a team is perfectly in tune with its public, a whole region seeing itself reflected in its team. FC Metz had won the Coupe de France. Bernad and his teammates could offer the trophy to Kasperzcak. The president Molinari could lift the cup, the first of the club’s history. Europe awaited them. Barcelona didn’t know what was about to hit them.

What remains of that period? The club became the flag-bearer for the whole of Lorraine, a region that refused to die. Today, the regional trainline that snakes from Metz to Thionville via Hagondange offers a view of desperate landscapes, a stream of industrial wastelands, kilometres of neglected tracks and trains, a ravaged and desolated territory. The massive hangars, adorned with the « ArcelorMittal » logo, appear all the way along the rail line, around Florange and will soon also become another footnote in the history of the region.

Today, FC Metz has the chance to lead the way. The club is relying on its greatest resource – its youngsters – to bounce back to happier tomorrows. The 14,000 supporters who were present against Bastia show the club’s unbreakable link with its region. The region of Lorraine has a soul, built of blood, of tears and of iron. It must lean on its young to build a future.

This article originally appeared in French on the excellent SHARKFOOT website. We thank them for allowing us to post the series in English. And a huge thank you to Jeremy Smith for the translation work.