The suspense is far from over.
In the first leg against Auxerre, who won the Ligue 2 games, Saint-Etienne thought they were taking a good step towards staying in the top flight.
The goal scored quickly by Zaydou Youssouf in the quarter hour was not enough and the Auxerrois, unbeaten for ten games, were rewarded at the end of the game.
The first leg between @AJA and @ASSEofficiel in numbers 🔍#AJAASSE pic.twitter.com/EqOWaMzT91
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) May 26, 2022
Pascal Dupraz's players will start at home on Sunday (7 p.m.), with a slight advantage but with fear in their stomachs.
After having saved Evian-Thonon-Gaillard, then Toulouse from relegation, the Saint-Etienne coach, who arrived in December to the rescue, is not yet at the end of his troubles to succeed in his bet.
What you must remember
In a packed Abbé-Deschamps stadium, and essentially for the cause of the Auxerrois – the prefecture of Yonne had banned the movement of Saint-Etienne supporters – the Greens quickly came to the fore through Denis Bouanga, his Gabonese international.
AJA reacts but is surprised at the quarter of an hour, when Zaydou Youssouf, forgotten in the marking, wraps a magnificent shot out of reach of Donovan Leon.
Not stunned despite this opener, Jean-Marc Furlan's men responded doubly by Mathias Autret without surprising Paul Bernardoni.
The 18th in Ligue 1 has the opportunity to break before the break but Arnaud Nordin stops Enzo Crivelli's shot, which seemed to be on the way to the Auxerre goal (40th).
To counter Auxerre's intentions, Pascal Dupraz brought in Wahbi Khazri in place of Enzo Crivelli, who was established for the first time with the green jersey.
Apart from checking the video on a possible hand from Etienne in their area (50th) and a new attempt from Autret (56th), Auxerre did not find the solution.
The Burgundian club, which left the elite in 2012 after 32 years of presence, is forcing, supported by its public, but in a disorderly way.
Entering the game in the 62nd, Gaëtan Perrin (former Lyonnais) then goes to the limit of offside then deceives the Stéphanois goalkeeper under the crossbar (87th).
Long live Sunday!
Player: Paul Bernardoni
On his line, the former Girondin was exemplary in repelling the Auxerre attempts.
Trained in Troyes between 2013 and 2015, at the time trained by a certain … Jean-Marc Furlan, the Angers goalkeeper on loan to Saint-Etienne first distinguished himself against Mathias Autret with a tap for a corner and a firm foot in the corner of his cage.
He then proved to be solid in front of Gaëtan Charbonnier, one of AJA's playing masters.
In the second half, the goalkeeper of the Blues at the Tokyo Games extinguished the Auxerre flame to avoid the worst.
The number: 10
Or the number of consecutive official matches without a win for ASSE against Auxerre.
We even have to go back to December 20, 2008 to see a victory for the Greens in this duel.
It was in the Ligue 1 championship and at the time Paulo Machado and Bafétimbi Gomis had sealed the victory of theirs (2-0).
The last opposition between these two historic clubs dated back to February 2017, in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
Auxerre then won 3-0, goals scored during extra time.