17 April 2004 - So Sweet For Sochaux

On 17 April 2004, Sochaux won their first trophy in 40 years, beating Nantes on penalties in the Coupe de la Ligue Final.

It was the second straight final for Sochaux, who had lost to Monaco the previous season, and the first one for Nantes. The teams exchanged a pair of early goals, with forward Grégory Pujol striking first for Nantes in the 13th minute, then defender Sylvain Monsoreau heading Sochaux level five minutes later. Nantes looked likely to regain the lead several times, but were repeatedly denied by Sochaux goalkeeper Teddy Richert (pictured), including one point-blank save against Nantes midfielder Frédéric de Rocha late in the match.

Locked at 1-1 after extra time, the game went to a penalty shootout. Still level after six kicks, Sochaux defender Maxence Flachez sent his attempt over the crossbar. The miss opened the door for Nantes' next kicker, goalkeeper and captain Mickaël Landreau, to seal the win. But he tried a simple chip that Richert saved with ease. After Sochaux captain Benoît Pedretti beat Landreau on the next attempt, Richert once again made a crucial stop, diving to his right to save Nantes' last shot and end the match as a Sochaux victory.

22 January 2005 - Menez Scores Many Goals

On 22 January 2005, Sochaux winger Jérémy Menez became the youngest player in Ligue 1 history to score a hat-trick. And he did it in the span of six minutes.

Menez already had one record under his belt as the league's youngest-ever player when he signed with Sochaux in 2004 at the age of 16. He became an instant first-team choice, making his inaugural start in August of that year and scoring his first goal in November.

That month, Sochaux rose as high as third in the table, but they dropped to 10th by the time Bordeaux came to town in January, following a 6-match winless streak. The Girondins, meanwhile, were 7th.

The two sides were evenly matched until Sochaux left back Sylvain Monsoreau put the hosts ahead in the 73rd minute. Then Menez ensured that there would be comeback, adding goals in the 78th and 82nd minutes. He completed his hat-trick with a tasty chip over Girondins keeper Ulrich Ramé in the 85th minute. (The goals start at 1:17 in the clip below.) He was 17 years, 8 months, and 15 days old at the time.

Menez currently plays for AC Milan.

17 April 2004 - So Sweet For Sochaux

On 17 April 2004, Sochaux won their first trophy in 40 years, beating Nantes on penalties in the Coupe de la Ligue Final.

It was the second straight final for Sochaux, who had lost to Monaco the previous season, and the first one for Nantes. The teams exchanged a pair of early goals, with forward Grégory Pujol striking first for Nantes in the 13th minute, then defender Sylvain Monsoreau heading Sochaux level five minutes later. Nantes looked likely to regain the lead several times, but were repeatedly denied by Sochaux goalkeeper Teddy Richert (pictured), including one point-blank save against Nantes midfielder Frédéric de Rocha late in the match.

Locked at 1-1 after extra time, the game went to a penalty shootout. Still level after six kicks, Sochaux defender Maxence Flachez sent his attempt over the crossbar. The miss opened the door for Nantes' next kicker, goalkeeper and captain Mickaël Landreau, to seal the win. But he tried a simple chip that Richert saved with ease. After Sochaux captain Benoît Pedretti beat Landreau on the next attempt, Richert once again made a crucial stop, diving to his right to save Nantes' last shot and end the match as a Sochaux victory.

22 January 2005 - Menez Scores Many Goals

On 22 January 2005, Sochaux winger Jérémy Menez became the youngest player in Ligue 1 history to score a hat-trick. And he did it in the span of six minutes.

Menez already had one record under his belt as the league's youngest-ever player when he signed with Sochaux in 2004 at the age of 16. He became an instant first-team choice, making his inaugural start in August of that year and scoring his first goal in November.

That month, Sochaux rose as high as third in the table, but they dropped to 10th by the time Bordeaux came to town in January, following a 6-match winless streak. The Girondins, meanwhile, were 7th.

The two sides were evenly matched until Sochaux left back Sylvain Monsoreau put the hosts ahead in the 73rd minute. Then Menez ensured that there would be comeback, adding goals in the 78th and 82nd minutes. He completed his hat-trick with a tasty chip over Girondins keeper Ulrich Ramé in the 85th minute. (The goals start at 1:17 in the clip below.) He was 17 years, 8 months, and 15 days old at the time.

Menez moved to Monaco in 2006, then in 2008 to Roma, where he currently plays.

[2012 Update: Since this post was published, Menez moved back to Ligue 1 and now plays for Paris Saint-Germain.]