Classic FAIL: Nantes ‘Keeper Mickael Landreau Attempts Panenka Penalty In Cup Final Shootout With Disastrous Consequences, 2004 (Video)

Chris Wright

30th, March 2018

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During his pomp, Mickael Landreau was a thoroughly decent goalkeeper and a prominent member of that mini-stable of really good French stoppers that seemed to peak in unison during the early-to-mid 2000s, alongside Gregory Coupet and Ulrich Rame.

One thing Landreau was not, however, was a consummate penalty taker – so quite why he was tasked with taking a spot-kick during the shootout at the end of the 2004 Coupe de la Ligue final is anybody’s guess.

Nantes and Sochaux tussled to a tense 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, and remained level after the first six rounds of penalties had been taken.

At that point, Nantes ‘keeper Landreau was selected as the man to break the deadlock.

Of course, rather than ramming it home as hard as humanly possible, he opted to flummox his opposite number, Teddy Richert, with a floaty-light Panenka…

Landreau’s blushes were temporarily spared when Maxence Flachez missed Sochaux’s subsequent kick, only for Nantes’ Pascal Delhommeau to step up and fail to seal the deal from 12 yards too.

Benoit Pedretti then calmly slotted the sudden death penalty past Landreau to win the cup for Sochaux in what would be his final appearance for the club before moving onto Marseille that summer.

There’s a lesson for us all in there somewhere.