Girard: ´I´m proud of my boys´

Montpellier coach Rene Girard hopes his side’s 1-0 Coup de la Ligue win over Bordeaux will help kick-start their season.

The champions have endured a poor start to their Ligue 1 campaign and sit 13th on the table after 10 games.

However Jonathan Tinhan’s goal in the 61st minute secured them a place in the league cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, much to Girard’s delight.

“I’m very proud of my boys today,” Girard said.

“They proved tonight that we have a good team, they were able to do something great against a Bordeaux team which is not easy to play, even though it was not the A-team.

The fact Montpellier’s 36-year-old midfielder Cyril Jeunechamp was sent off for the hosts eight minutes from full-time made the win even more satisfying.

“We did what was necessary. It’s true that it’s a shame to lose Cyril Jeunechamp at the end, but he’s going to rest, it’s going to be good for him. He is getting older,” Girard said.

“It’s a shame because we had to finish by defending a lot, but I also believe that these kind of moments are important, you have to go through it.

“Tonight, we found the energy to do it.”