Just before getting off the bus, Christophe Galtier turned to the driver and warmly thanked him and congratulated him on the maneuver he had just completed.
At an hour and a quarter before the kick-off of the match against Ajaccio this Friday evening, the Parisians had finally arrived at their destination.
But how complicated it was to access the François-Coty stadium!
The extremely spectacular arrival of the PSG coach at the François Coty stadium in Ajaccio #ACAPSG pic.twitter.com/mXqDJS9y8H
— The Parisian |
PSG (@le_Parisien_PSG) October 21, 2022
Without their usual bus, which unlike Lisbon had not made the trip, the PSG players had left the Sofitel hotel south of Ajaccio under good escort.
Only, even if the only road which leads to the stadium had been neutralized for 30 minutes, the traffic jams which formed upstream first prevented the Parisians from advancing, in particular at the level of a roundabout.
Their arrival therefore did not take place at 7:30 p.m. as planned.
Once at the foot of the stadium, they then had to pass in front of the hundreds of Corsican supporters gathered on the small surrounding mounds.
The extremely spectacular arrival of the PSG coach at the François Coty stadium in Ajaccio #ACAPSG 2/3 pic.twitter.com/fQInIIzrBr
— The Parisian |
PSG (@le_Parisien_PSG) October 21, 2022
And this is where things got even tougher for the driver of the vehicle.
He indeed had to start a reverse gear to enter through the gate.
Unfortunately his first attempt failed and he had to resume the movement in the middle of the CRS and the supporters, some of whom had lit smoke bombs while others launched chants of insults.
The extremely spectacular arrival of the PSG bus at the François Coty stadium in Ajaccio #ACAPSG 3/3 pic.twitter.com/OjF6ACcB3W
— The Parisian |
PSG (@le_Parisien_PSG) October 21, 2022
On the second attempt, full of composure, the driver succeeded in his mission.
"Lock the gate quickly" launched a technician from the stadium while the Parisians got off the bus as quickly as possible to join the locker room.
A little greeting from Mbappé to the public gathered on the balcony.
And a big sigh of relief for the bus driver, sweating but happy to have led Messi and his partners to their destination.