Twelve units at the break, thirty-two at the end of the season.
Who would have thought that with such a course, even if the second part of the season headed by Pascal Dupraz offered a slight improvement, AS Saint-Étienne would still be on the way to keeping its place in Ligue 1?
Never in twenty years and the return of the elite to twenty clubs, had an 18th place been acquired with such a low total of points.
The point of hope, the one which offers a play-off Thursday and next Sunday against AJ Auxerre, was obtained in a hard fight on Saturday evening on the lawn of Beaujoire.
Led early on by a penalty from Ludovic Blas, Pascal Dupraz's men faltered for a long time before equalizing in the 79th minute.
A recovery from Romain Hamouma, the face of the Forez attack for ten years, on a superb service from Denis Bouanga.
In a relegation position so far, Saint-Étienne is now "in Ligue 1 and a half".
This is the expression of Pascal Dupraz, whose label of "Monsieur Maintien" therefore still has a week, at least, of validity.
“We were in Ligue 2 before the match, we were in L2 for a good part of the match and then now we are in Ligue 1 and a half (…) Since I was a kid, I know that AS Saint-Étienne is reborn from its ashes, it's legendary.
So all you have to do is realize that.
I have a mission and I am focused.
We are still 50/50, a one in two chance,” he added.
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The eternal Hamouma marked this evening.
But how not to return to the huge parades of Paul Bernardoni (35th, 48th, 66th), not always varnished since his arrival in the winter transfer window from the SCO of Angers but providential against the Canaries?
"It was not easy emotionally," commented the 25-year-old doorman.
We knew that we had to keep this score of 1-0 at the most and kill them when necessary (…) Me, I am trained like that.
Even if we concede a goal, it may be the save behind that will make the difference.
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💬 "We never lost hope"
Romain Hamouma chose the right match to score his 50th goal in Ligue 1 Uber Eats!
On a superb cross from @BouangaDenis, number 21 offered an extremely important point to the club whose colors he has been defending for 10 years.
💚 pic.twitter.com/Abw3GRWw5O
– AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) May 22, 2022
Pascal Dupraz also mentioned the journey of his defender Assane Diousse, who had not been retained in the group but came by car during the day because Lucas Gourna, finally on the score sheet, was uncertain weather.
“He arrived at 6:30 p.m., like a ray of sunshine, as usual.
He was supposed to make the war cry tonight but he didn't want to do it: he wants to do it next Sunday after the return jump-off”.
The second round will be played at Geoffroy Guichard.
Good news, the public will be there after several games behind closed doors.
For the occasion, the management is offering places at single prices of 5 or 10 euros.
The first round will also take place in a volcanic atmosphere.
Abbé Deschamps dreams of returning to the top flight for ten years and will push Jean-Marc Furlan's team, victorious on penalties from Sochaux on Friday evening (0-0, 5-4 tab).
Regardless of the outcome of this duel, a monument of French football will play in Ligue 1 next year.
Program
Thursday 26 May at 7 p.m. (beIN SPORTS 1 and Prime Video): Auxerre - Saint-Étienne
Sunday 29 May at 7 p.m. (beIN SPORTS 1 and Prime Video): Saint-Étienne - Auxerre.