Trailing 1-3 two minutes from the end by Lorient who would temporarily seize the leadership chair, Rodez snatched an incredible draw (3-3). After the reduction of the score by Wannis Taïbi (89th), it was goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, mounted on the last corner and left completely alone, who equalized with a header (3-3, 90th + 7).
“I don’t usually know how to make a face, I don’t know what happened,” laughs the Rodez goalkeeper at the BeIN microphone. In addition, we have tactics on set pieces… I was told, go ahead, go up front and stand at the near post. I see the ball coming, I take it and I don’t even see where the ball is going. I’ll watch the replays. I think it’s a nice face though. But I won’t go back, I don’t think… It’s incredible. We played against one of the best teams in the championship but we know that at home, we can overturn mountains. »
The native of Meaux (30 years old) who played for Torcy and PSG (2009-2012) as a youth player definitely knows how to be decisive at the end of matches. During the last CAN in Ivory Coast, the goalkeeper of the Leopards of the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) sent his country to the quarter-finals by scoring the last shot on goal against Guinea (8-7).
But Lionel Mpasi certainly drew his strength of character from an atypical career where he experienced unemployment and began seasons as number 2 for a long time. In Rodez since 2016, he only became a real starter from December 2020. This season, it was Sébastien Cibois, also trained at PSG, who started the championship as number 1. But Mpasi regained his place from the 3rd day. “Here we are workers, it’s the DNA of the region, we never give up,” says the Ile-de-France goalkeeper who is certainly not ready to forget this October 25, 2024 when he realized the wildest dream of any goalkeeper: score a goal.
