As recent as 2019, Brest were a mediocre club in Ligue 2 and you would have to go back to the 1986/87 season to re-visit their highest ever finish in the first division (8th).
After spending six successive seasons in the second division of France, the club has found consistency in Ligue 1 since its most recent promotion spending its fifth consecutive season in the top echelons of French football.
During this stint their highest finish was an unresounding 11th placed in 2021-22 under the stewardship of Michel Der Zakarian, however he was sacked the following season after only 13 points from 17 games.
Fast forward to this season Les Ti'zerfs defeated Austrian giants Sturm Graz 2-1 on the biggest stage of the domestic football calendar... The Champions League.
Last season in Eric Roy's first full season the Frenchman guided Brest to third in Ligue 1, their highest ever finish and qualified the minnows for their first European escapade.
The Pirates, finished ahead of Ligue 1 heavyweights Marseille, Nice and Lyon to automatically qualify for UEFA's re-formatted 36-team group stage securing memorable results such as a second-ever draw against serial French champions PSG.
However, there highly anticipated European debut has brought newfound problems for the Bretons, who have discovered the cruelty of the transfer market.
Brest's success last season, was due to manager Eric Roy's attacking 4-2-3-1 formation where he allowed them to play with a hunger and bravery. They lost just twice all campaign at their Stade Francis Le Bel stadium conceding only 34 goals and recording the second highest number of clean sheets in the division (15).
Although, after a disruptive summer of incomings and outgoings life this season hasn't gone to plan; they currently sit 14th with one win from five and have lost their solidity and compactness conceding the second highest number of goals (10).
For a minnow team like Brest who overachieved last season, they've discovered the damaging aftermath of an onslaught of last seasons best players in the transfer window. Promising centre-back Lillian Brassier has joined rivals Marseille and Steve Mounie familiar to Premier League fans for his underwhelming stint at Huddersfield Town has departed for Augsburg.
These are not detrimental exits, but the wholesale changes within the team has appeared to weaken the strength of the group where they have found it difficult to replicate the consistency of last season.
Their recruitment has been promising signing a cohort of Premier League experience like former Newcastle full-back Massimo Haidara and ex-Aston Villa star Jordan Amavi as well as returning favourite Romain Favire from Bournemouth.
Former West Ham starlet Edimilson Fernandes is a smart pick-up from Mainz, the 28 year old is still awaiting to unlock his full potential and Brest will hope to get the best out of the Swiss international. Meanwhile, Abdallah Sima is a very good loan signing from Brighton, in-form from his successful stint at Rangers last season where he scored 16 goals.
The reality is it will take time for these new additions to gel and implement the managers high-octane attacking philosophy which is evident from their start to the season where they have succumbed to heavy defeats from Marsielle (5-1) and PSG (3-1).
Just before their first ever Champions League game, UEFA announced the small club founded in 1950 will not be allowed to play in their 102 year old stadium as a result of it not meeting regulations.
The stadium holds 5,000, which is dramatically short of UEFA's capacity minimum of 15,200. Instead Breton fans have been forced to watch their club's four Champions League home games from French second-division side Guingamp's Stade de Roudourou which holds 19,000.
This has risked diminishing the fans ability to experience their club's first ever European adventure, with Guingamp's stadium one hour away from Brest. Despite this set-back Brest fans created a raucous of noise last night as they witnessed Brest secure their first ever Champions League win.
The re-designed Champions League league table format has aided Brest chances of reaching the knock-outs, as they've received a favourable fixture list including Sturm Graz, Shakhtar Donetsk, PSV, Salzburg and Sparta Prague.
They will still be underdogs against these opponents but it makes it a possibility to reach the 8-10 point benchmark which is thought to be needed to get out of the group stage.
In front of 14,518 fans, Brest defeated Sturm Graz 2-1 to gift fans a historical night they will remember forever. Hugo Magnetti opened the scoring with a half-volley into the bottom left corner on the 23rd minute, but the two sides went into the interval drawing after a Fernandes own goal in the 45th minute.
The Bretons put on a dominate display averaging 57.1% possession and recording 14 shots to their opponents 8. It was the 56th minute that they scored the winning goal, their new strike duo of Sima and Ajorque combining well before Sima shot on the turn and into the net.
The hosts extended Sturm Graz's unwanted record of nine away games without a win in the Champions League, a streak that goes back to 2001. As for Brest they secured their second win of the season and will go to Toulouse on Sunday full of confidence before facing Salzburg away in their next Champions League game.
Written by Lewis Eadie
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