Jérémie Baron, published on Saturday March 13, 2021 at 3:02 p.m.
Thanks to a goal from Wahbi Khazri, St-Etienne went to win 1-0 in Angers on the 29th day of Ligue 1 and offers air compared to the red zone.
ASSE did not look like a 16th team in Ligue 1 and the SCO did not look like a potential contender for Europe: facing the dead Angevins and after a serious match, the Greens were relaunched thanks to a flash from Wahbi Khazri after the break, just to take eight points ahead of the red zone.
The Greens, an iron defense
Almost a month to the day that Saint-Étienne hadn’t seen victory, falling in the standings day after day. This time, Claude Puel’s men – who had opted for a visibly judicious 3-4-1-2 – took the game from the right end by preventing the Scoists from developing anything in the opposing half. There were not many sparks – on bad ground that everyone deplored – but the solidity of the three-headed hinge (Pope Abou Cissé, Timothée Kolodziejczak and the young Saïdou Sow, 18) as well as the talent de Khazri were enough to leave Maine et Loire with the three points, despite several notable absences.
Two goals disallowed for offside
Less than seven minutes after the break when his family came out of the locker room with the same good intentions, the Tunisian international – who was returning from injury – unleashed a heavy strike of which he has the secret (52nd) to sign his second achievement of the season, he who had been shelved at the start of the year. The former Bastiais, associated with Charles Abi in front and who would have greatly participated in the break if it had not been signaled in an offside position (75th), was the great man of this part.
A single shot on target for Angers
For Angers, who had thought to equalize thanks to Loïs Diony a few seconds after the opening of the scoring (54th) before the flag was raised for an offside position, it was not until the entry of Stéphane Bahoken and the 20 last minutes to be entitled to the real first strike on target (70th), which will also be the only one of the match for the flock of Stéphane Moulin. Starting in an unambitious scheme with in particular a Lassana Coulibaly placed very high in the right lane, the premises have hardly existed despite an inspired Angelo Fulgini, and present in all the good moves that would have deserved that Diony convert one of his offerings. As a result, Angers is on the verge of falling back into the second half of the table.