Saint-Étienne (AFP)
Saint-Etienne, beaten at Rennes on Sunday, found his efficiency and responded well by inflicting a rout in Nice (4-1), Wednesday, the 16th day of Ligue 1.
With this sixth success on their last nine league games (2 draws, 1 loss), the Greens are now 5th, thanks to a double Denis Bouanga.
They are ahead of Lille (4th) in the goal difference (+5 against 0) while the Aiglons, who have not chained two victories of rank since the second day, remain in the second half of the table (14th).
This season, ASSE, which won its third home win and its biggest success, had beaten only Lyon (1-0) and Monaco (1-0) for seven draws and one defeat , all competitions.
In their Cauldron, Foréziens had also scored, at best, two goals against Toulouse and Amiens (2-2).
Their impotence at home, particularly due to a lack of percussion, is one of the reasons for their premature elimination from the Europa League even before the 6th day of the event for which the St Etienne will play a game without a stake in Wolfsburg.
The Greens, resolutely offensive, this time have been effective for a very successful performance.
They quickly took the lead on a penalty converted by Bouanga, granted after viewing the video assistance for a hand fault Youssef Attal (10).
Bouanga was once again decisive in scoring the fourth goal of his team with a header shot on a free kick played by Romain Hamouma (58).
He also delivered a decisive corner pass to allow young defender Wesley Fofana (19) to score, for the first time in Ligue 1 (41).
Meanwhile, Nice equalized by Kasper Dolberg at the resumption of a free kick played by Wylan Cyprien badly rejected by Stéphane Ruffier (1-1, 15) before Saint-Etienne takes the lead with a goal scored by Hamouma , who was back after an injury, well served by Franck Honorat (38).
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