It is 4:19 pm this Sunday, November 7 when Jason Berthomier appears behind Mohamed Bayo, author of the opener (59th), and doubles the bet for Clermont against AS Saint-Étienne (64th). Stunned and led by two goals, the Stéphanois then headed for a thirteenth Ligue 1 game without a win and a seventh defeat in the league. All in a Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium ringing hollow, a direct consequence of the total closed session pronounced following the incidents against Angers on October 22 (2-2) and under the eyes of Claude Puel on an ejection seat for several weeks. Red lantern of the championship after 1158 minutes of suffering, frustration and disappointment in this 2021-2022 fiscal year, the green people, until then amorphous, finally woke up at the end of a miraculous fate written in just 17 minutes …
Seventeen minutes of madness during which the Greens thus demonstrated exceptional mental resources. Taking advantage of an error by Jonathan Iglesias, Arnaud Nordin, entered in the 67th minute in place of Zaydou Youssouf, first gave hope to his family (78th, 1-2). Revolt sounded, time passed but nothing happened and it was finally necessary to wait for additional time for the inexplicable to occur. On a new corner hit by Nordin, Jean-Philippe Krasso rose in the air to equalize with a header (90th + 2, 2-2) before a new header from Saïdou Sow, on a final corner kick de Nordin (90th + 7, 2-3) does not propel the Greens into an almost divine dimension. A miracle, a comeback, ren-vert-sants Stéphanois, then choose your qualifier to describe the scenario of this insane match which therefore allowed ASSE to defeat the promoted Clermont (3-2).
So obviously, not everything was perfect and the script alone helps to understand it. Overall dominating in this meeting, the Stéphanois were again very crumbly defensively, as evidenced by the 28 goals conceded by the worst defense in the championship since the start of the season. But ASSE has never stopped believing in it. Carried by the energy of despair or more rationally by the reduction of Arnaud Nordin’s score, factor X of this end of anthology meeting (scorer and double passer), the Stéphanois threw all their forces into the battle, to the ‘image of the efforts of the Tunisian Wahbi Khazri, a rare breakthrough in Saint-Etienne in recent weeks (7 goals in 13 L1 matches) and finally offered themselves an unexpected first victory, long hailed by Claude Puel in a post-match press conference .
In Green and against everything!
“First, once again, I will congratulate my players. I am happy for them. What abnegation, what strength of character, no one cheats. That’s wonderful. We don’t want to suffer. Yes, there are things to correct. Of course. We are sometimes too naive. But here, what comes to me is a stage, a march, we have to replace ourselves in the standings. But frankly, well done to the players ”, first launched the Stéphanois coach, very close to dismissal in recent weeks, before adding: “It’s not easy, we have difficulties in our environment, we play behind closed doors. How hard it is. The supporters’ demonstration? My message is from the field, it’s a truth. Self-sacrifice cannot be taken away from us. Nobody gives up. I also have supporters who encourage me, they understand the situation of the club. Economically, it’s complicated, and sporting too. But it is a club that has no margin, for the moment, we must hang on. But when the fans see this victory, I have no doubts that they will like it. ”
And for good reason, this torn victory comes in a more than perilous institutional context and a shaky economic situation. Thus, despite the announcement of the sale of Saint-Étienne on April 14 and the 170 proposals received by Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer, the two main shareholders of ASSE who wish to sell before the end of the calendar year , the operation is slow to materialize and places the whole club in a certain instability. As such, The team also indicated, Friday afternoon, that the candidates for the takeover of ASSE had until Monday evening to submit their offer. Mandated to manage the takeover files, KPMG will then study the proposals which should be between 12 and 20 million euros, as opposed to the 60 million euros hoped for. In Saint-Etienne, if serenity is not yet the daily bread of the club, there is no doubt that this historic victory will give air to Claude Puel and could be a real trigger for his group. First response after the international break, on the lawn of Troyes.
The complete classification of Ligue 1
The scorers classification
1975 – St Etienne won a Ligue 1 match after being trailed by 2 goals in the 77th minute for the first time since May 21, 1975 (3-2 v Bastia). Revenantes. # ASSECF63 pic.twitter.com/nXARtML8nx
– OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 7, 2021