Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing the title, Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier left Saarbrücken with plenty of pride after an outstanding HYLO ETTU Champions League Men campaign that ended with a place in the final during the club’s first-ever Final 4 appearance.
Head coach Vincent AVRIL praised his team’s journey throughout the season, despite the painful 3-2 defeat against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in the final.
“It was an amazing tournament for my team, with so many emotions,” AVRIL said. “Of course we are very sad to lose the final, especially after such a close match, but I am extremely proud of my players and proud to represent this club. Since the first stage, we have had a wonderful Champions League campaign.”
AVRIL also underlined the progress his young team has made throughout the season.
“We are still a young team without a lot of experience, but month after month we are improving and becoming more complete as a team. We played against one of the strongest clubs in the world, so of course it was difficult, but this experience gives us confidence that we can come back even stronger next season.”
For Alexis LEBRUN, the evening brought mixed emotions after his impressive opening victory over reigning Olympic champion FAN Zhendong.
“It is always a pleasure to play against FAN Zhendong because he is such an unbelievable player,” Alexis said. “I am very happy with my performance, but in the end it is difficult because it was not enough to help the team win the title. Losing 3-2 in the final is never easy.”
His younger brother Felix LEBRUN stressed that the team embraced the occasion despite arriving in Saarbrücken as outsiders.
“This was the first Final 4 for our club and we really enjoyed the experience,” Felix said. “Saarbrücken were the favourites, but we gave everything and came very close. We hope we can come back here again one day and maybe go one step further.”
Both LEBRUN brothers also highlighted the strong bond within the team, with several players having grown together through the French system and the clubs from Montpellier and Nîmes.
“We are proud to represent our club colours and to bring the club to the biggest matches possible,” Alexis added. “That is something very special for all of us.”
