Saint-Étienne facing a stalemate by Grenoble on the final day of Ligue 2 competition
In a match played before a packed Chaudron with 35,729 spectators, Saint-Étienne and Grenoble fought tooth and nail, resulting in a point-sharing draw. The Greens, despite being dominated for over ninety minutes, managed to snatch a point, their second of the season.
The first half saw Saint-Étienne putting Grenoble's defence through the wringer. Players like Maxime Bernauer, Irvin Cardona, Florian Tardieu, Zouriko Davitashvili, and Joshua Duffus all had attempts at scoring, but Gautier Larsonneur in the Grenoble goal stood firm. It was Mickaël Nadé who eventually broke the deadlock for Saint-Étienne at the 36th minute, giving the home team a slender lead.
However, Grenoble refused to give up. Nadir el-Jamali had attempts at scoring in the 50th and 59th minutes, while Joshua Duffus followed suit in the 51st and 65th minutes. Despite Saint-Étienne's impressive ball possession (79%) and twenty shots, only six were on target, leaving Larsonneur with ample opportunities to keep his team in the game.
The second half was no less intense. Shaquil Delos provided a cross that led to Yadaly Diaby's goal at the 77th minute, levelling the score. Nesta Zahui almost restored Grenoble's lead moments later, but Larsonneur was equal to the task, saving Zahui's shot.
Despite the disappointing result, Maxime Bernauer, a Saint-Étienne defender, remained positive about the team's performance. He expressed the need to finish off games earlier, a sentiment echoed by Eirik Horneland, who regretted that Gauthier Paquiez's challenge on Mahmoud Jaber wasn't punished with a red card.
The draw means that Saint-Étienne remain unbeaten in the Ligue 2, but they could have been sole leaders at the international break. Nonetheless, the team can take solace in the fact that they left the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium with smiles and relief, having not lost despite being dominated and outplayed.
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