“It’s just karma”: Sakina Karchaoui and PSG women’s team in the final with a newfound smile

Karma is a concept that needs to be handled with care. But Sakina Karchaoui must have been thinking about it since Sunday evening, after her beautiful goal against Paris FC (3-0) . Whether natural or controlled, her celebration—a 50-meter run to end up in the arms of interim coach Paulo Cesar—is not insignificant.

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Discarded by Fabrice Abriel without any real explanation, the left-hander unwittingly symbolized the break between the dismissed coach and his dressing room . Here she is in the championship final and with a broad smile. Unimaginable at the beginning of April when she returned from the gathering with the French team and saw herself left out .

So in case the 29-year-old hadn't thought of it, her friend and defensive teammate Élisa de Almeida did. "That goal freed him, it delivered him," smiles the French international. "It's Sakina Karchaoui! You know as well as I do, without a player like her on the pitch, it's more complicated. And her goal is just... As they say, karma (smile)."

A starter and captain this week for the last match of the regular season against Nantes , "Saki" continued this Sunday in the semi-final of the play-offs in the position he has held since the start of the season, in midfield.

All with a huge influence on a team that was a pleasure to watch despite the cold and rainy atmosphere at the Parc des Princes (fewer than 5,000 spectators). But the sun was in the hearts thanks to the influence of Brazilian Paulo Cesar.

"His arrival has been good," confirms Élisa de Almeida. "We've started enjoying playing together again. It's been a tough season. It's been everyone's fault, since the early elimination from the Champions League. Now, it's good." And that's also why Karchaoui and the rest of the squad gravitated towards the former PSG right-back (2002-2007).

"It's symbolic," continues Elisa de Almeida. "It rewards a week of work in joy and good humor. He brought that back. It's good to thank him for what he brought back in such a short time."

"I didn't expect it at all," replied the new coach. "If you look closely, I turned around to the staff and saw them coming. I'm pleased because I emphasized the team spirit, this positive atmosphere, this energy. We created something during this week. We have to retain it, keep it. That's what will help us."

Paulo Cesar, former U19 women's coach, had a "dream" evening after his first game on the bench at the Parc des Princes. And the coach emphasizes his main achievement: the return of fun: "My main goal was to change the energy of the defeat in the Coupe de France final. We had to smile, have fun, and work towards a common goal. Responsibility can't be a burden. These players do the job they love; it's their passion. I'm just supporting them. You have to enjoy yourself. If that's the case, it's obviously happening on the pitch."

It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to clinch the championship on Friday night on OL's pitch for the Premier League grand finale. A title that Sakina Karchaoui, nor a large portion of this squad, has never won. So, first?