PARIS – In a thrilling encounter at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Sunday, Saint-Etienne managed to secure their hopes of remaining in Ligue 1 by defeating Lyon 2-1, despite the match being temporarily suspended due to an incident involving the match official. The intense fixture saw Belgian forward Lucas Stassin shine, finding the net twice, scoring both before and after the interruption, bringing his total to 12 league goals this season. His contributions are expected to be pivotal in Saint-Etienne’s quest to avoid relegation, as they now share points with Le Havre, who occupies the 16th spot. With only four games left in the season, their fight for survival continues.
Lyon, on the other hand, saw their direct qualification for the Champions League take a hit with this loss, their sole goal coming from an impressive shot by American defender Tanner Tessmann in the 76th minute, marking his first goal for the club. Post-match, Tessmann acknowledged their shortcomings, remarking, “We needed to start the game better. The first half was really bad.”
The match was notably disrupted just before halftime when linesman Mehdi Rahmouni was struck on the head by an unidentified projectile thrown from the crowd. Following deliberation by the French league officials, it was determined that play could resume given that Rahmouni was not harmed. When the game restarted at 10:15 p.m. local time, Rahmouni was met with applause as he reclaimed his position on the field. Saint-Etienne was already in the lead 1-0 at the time of the incident.
In a significant play, left back Léo Pétrot delivered a precise cross to Stassin, who converted with a decisive header, celebrating the goal with the home fans. Stassin encountered a moment of controversy when he was initially shown a red card for a foul on Lyon’s Corentin Tolisso. However, after a video assessment, the decision was downgraded to a yellow card, much to the dismay of Lyon president John Textor, who expressed his frustration on social media.
Meanwhile, Lille continued their pursuit of a Champions League place with a robust 3-1 victory over Auxerre. Canadian striker Jonathan David played a key role, scoring twice and assisting another goal, propelling Lille to a provisional fourth place in the standings. An unfortunate own-goal by Brazilian defender Alexsandro allowed Auxerre to score, but David’s persistence secured his 16th league goal late in the game. Lille’s success was marred by an accident involving their goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who suffered dental injuries after a collision with his own teammate during the game.
Elsewhere, Nice maintained their European aspirations by defeating Angers 2-1 at home. This victory positions them in sixth place, maintaining pressure on the teams above for a Champions League spot.
In another match, U.S. striker Jordan Pefok’s goal was the difference for Reims against Toulouse, moving his team further away from relegation danger. This goal arrived shortly after American defender Mark McKenzie was sent off for a challenge on Reims’s Aurélio Buta. Lastly, Lens clinched a 3-1 victory over Brest, climbing above their opponents in the standings.