Aurélien Déniel’s stoppage-time overhead and two saves in Coupe de France | OneFootball

Aurélien Déniel, Plouvorn’s goalkeeper, equalised with a stoppage-time overhead kick then saved two penalties to clinch a 7th-round Coupe de France win for the Regional 1 club at Vitré.

The strike came on 16 November at Vitré, against N3 opponents. According to L'Équipe, the footage went viral as home commentator Nathan Neveu struggled to process what he had seen.

Déniel recalls a cross from Driss Hellegoët, two markers close, and the ball arriving 12 metres out. He weighed up a header or an overhead, chose the latter and aimed for the far post.

He then magnetised two efforts in the shootout. At Les Sables VF in the 8th round on 30 November, he ventured forward again with Plouvorn 2-1 down in the dying moments, this time without reward.

A late convert to goalkeeping, he first filled in for the Under-19s, returned to outfield for a season, then moved back between the posts, rising from the seniors’ C side to the A. Team-mates see a front-foot, adventurous presence with a fierce strike.

From Plouvorn, a Finistère village of about 3,000 people, Déniel works as a plasterer with Guillerm, where his father is industrial director. His mother, Maryline, played handball at N2 level and his partner, Enora, also plays.

He previously earned an aeronautical vocational baccalaureate and spent 7 years in that sector on maintenance and safety equipment. A keen surfer near Santec, he helps run the club’s events committee and says the whole episode felt magical the next day.

Source: L'Équipe