At a distance, the range is not quite the same. But in the Turkish stadium of Manisa, the “Pandas” from the Sporting Club of the Deaf in Reims repeated the feat achieved in Reims last year. And almost under the same conditions. After a crazy scenario, the Reims team was taken to extra time and penalties by the Germans from Stuttgart in the final of the Deaf Champion’s League. With the same score as in 2025 and nerves of steel, CSSR emerged victorious with a 4-3 score, lifting their second European cup in 2 years.
The descriptors are difficult to choose. Immense, historic, indomitable.. Like a year ago, it was at the end of an unbearable penalty shoot-out that the CSS Reims overcame their opponents in the final of the Deaf Champion’s League. Perhaps experience played a role against the valiant Germans from Stuttgart. It was actually the Stuttgart players who quickly opened the score, just 5 minutes into the game, with a beautiful pivot shot after a Reims loss in the midfield. The Pandas did not hesitate for long. Ten minutes later (14th), the Reims team quickly recovered the ball. Rapid in transition, Paul Recober perfectly adjusted to the opposing goalkeeper, receiving a good cross from Omar Diaby at the far post.
Furthermore, Aurelien Manceaux’s teammates doubled their lead shortly before the half-hour mark thanks to Japanese player Daisuke Nishi, opportunistic in the German area. Like in the first half, Stuttgart found the net at the start of the second half. Nothing else was scored until a grueling penalty shoot-out. Despite Reims missing two penalties (the 3rd and 4th), the Germans missed three, two saved by the Reims goalkeeper, and one off target. Symbolically, captain Aurelien Manceaux converted the match-winning penalty (4-3) and brought joy to the entire deaf community in Reims and France. For the first time, a French club has won the Deaf Champion’s League twice in a row. Immense, historic…
