Kévin Gameiro was singled out for praise by Julien Stéphan after scoring the winner for RC Strasbourg against Stade Brestois 29 on Saturday, keeping the door to European qualification wide open.
Strasbourg have been a revelation under Stéphan this season, and having spent eight weeks in the top four since the turn of the year, they pulled back into a provisional fifth with the win over Brest.
Gameiro, the homegrown former France international who previously starred for Paris Saint-Germain and throughout La Liga, returned at the start of the season and has dismissed any suggestions he might be over the hill at 34.
"Sixty points with two games to go is exceptional," enthused Stéphan. "We have to savour it. By winning today, we've made our next game against Clermont a semi-final. The guys took advantage on a transition to open the score. They were very solid.
"Kévin was rewarded for his hard work," the coach then said of his 11-goal forward. "He's a model courage and defiance. He doesn't overthink and he's mentally fresh. He's very important to us. He came to improve the overall work of the team. I take my hat off to Maxime Le Marchand too, who fought hard for his first full game in six months."
If next Saturday's meeting with Clermont at the Stade de la Meinau is a semi-final, the final weekend meeting with Olympique de Marseille at their Orange Vélodrome promises to be a mouth-watering showpiece.
