Season 65

[David Grizzle]

A little catch up for Olympique Rouen.

Going into round 22 of the league OR is 7 points clear atop the league with a record of 19-1-1. Clinching their 3rd league title in 4 years is almost assured having lost only one league game in the past 2 seasons.

More critical is the teams chase of it's first Champions League title and a 3rd straight finals appearance. The first leg of the all French tie finished 3-3 on the road against the underdog opponent. Going home with 3 road goals is not a bad proposition. While OR works on their own advancement they also have one eye on the other semi final. In that contest the two teams are separated by a full 2 star avg and yet the first leg finished 1-1 at the home of the very clear favorite. The Hungarian favorites are very similar to OR's semi final opponent which is slightly less than 1* below on avg. The difference between facing a 37.4Q side and a 27.1Q Chinese side could make for a much less tense final but all bets are off in the CL.

Of course most will remember that OR was eliminated from the Cup in the playoff round so the continuing chase for the elusive treble will have to wait at least another season. Olympique Rouen will likely finish with either 5 or 6 major trophies in their first 4 seasons of existence including a pair of T11 Cup titles.



Today sees rounds 22 (2150 GMT (5-0 win) and 23 (0400 GMT) of league play. Tomorrow will see the dramatic conclusion of the CL semi final at the Stade de Rouen at 2106 GMT.

As for the countdown to the league title the earliest that Les coqs gaulois can clinch the title would be after round 23 with two wins today and a loss for the 2nd place side or 4/30 if they win their next 3 regardless of other results. OR has already secured a top 3 finish and with a win in round 22 will make it officially a two team race at the top although the 2nd place side from Bangkok has already played OR twice and is the only team to have taken any points from the leaders this season.

As a side note should OR win the league it will mark the 2nd straight season they have led from wire to wire having now been on top of the league standings for 48 rounds running.