25 years ago, FC Nantes crushed PSV 4-1 on the evening of September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, while the entire world had its eyes fixed on New York, FC Nantes beat PSV Eindhoven 4-1 at La Beaujoire in the group stage of the Ligue des Champions. A memorable victory, achieved in an extraordinary context.

The Canaries were going through a difficult period. French champions in title, they had started their Ligue 1 season poorly: six matches, four defeats, two draws, only three goals scored. The departure of Eric Carrière to Lyon had weighed heavily.

Facing PSV under Erik Gerets, with Mateja Kezman and Mark van Bommel, the players under Raynald Denoueix finally found their rhythm. Pierre-Yves André opened the scoring as early as the 5th minute, Olivier Quint doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 10th. Young Wilfried Dalmat, a surprise in Denoueix’s lineup, sealed it just before half-time (45th). In the second half, supersub Marama Vahirua added a fourth goal (75th) before John de Jong’s consolation goal in added time (90th).

The matches on this Tuesday, September 11 were played with just a minute’s silence before kick-off, the attacks having taken place a few hours earlier. UEFA, however, postponed all Wednesday’s matches, taking stock of the ongoing global crisis. PSV later requested to replay the match, contesting the conditions under which it was played.

This victory launched a fine European adventure for Nantes. By securing two victories against Lazio, the Canaries topped a group that also included Galatasaray. The competition then had two group phases, and FC Nantes subsequently fell to Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Portuguese side Boavista.