Fans of French soccer club AJ Auxerre came this close to ruining their team’s finest moment in a generation before their better senses made them do the right thing.
Auxerre fans stormed the field Tuesday to celebrate their team’s 1-0 win over Guingamp in the semifinals of the Coupe de France (French Cup). The only problem was the hosts hadn’t won the game yet.
The excited fans heeded the pleas of Auxerre players, coaches and staff and returned to their seats (or someone else’s) to the delight of television announcers and viewers. The referee blew the final whistle, shortly thereafter, allowing the celebrations to commence in earnest.
We can’t fault Auxerre fans too much in this instance. Auxerre currently sits eighth in Ligue 2 (France’s second division) and most likely won’t return to the French top flight next year. Guingamp sits 17 places higher in the French League standings (10th in Ligue 1) and was the defending Coupe de France winner.
Auxerre will face the winner of Wednesday’s game between Paris Saint-Germain and St. Etienne next month in the final.
Auxerre fans celebrating the upset is all good. That they added touches of comedy and class makes their reveling even better.
Video via Reddit
Thumnail photo via Twitter/@lequipe
