There was nothing to choose between AS Saint-Étienne and Angers SCO on Friday evening, the sides sharing a goalless draw despite chances at either end at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
AS Saint-Étienne 0-0 Angers SCO
THE MATCH
Angers - perhaps fittingly for a team who knew a win would send them a provisional fourth - started on the front foot, but their high line left gaps for Saint-Étienne to exploit, something Arnaud Nordin would have managed had his shot not sailed past Paul Bernardoni's goal (11'). Denis Bounga had the ball in the Angers net soon after, having got on the end of a Matheiu Debuchy, pass but his effort was ruled out for offside (18'). Ryad Boudebouz was the next to try his luck with a drilled effort which was as much cross as shot (20') as the visitors held on. Jimmy Cabot had a good chance at the other end, meeting Vincent Manceau's low cross and forcing a reaction save from Jessy Moulin (29'). Cabot had a penalty claim waved away (31') before Mathias Pereira Lage sent a free-kick straight at Moulin's hands (35') and Jérôme Miguelgorry's whistle for halftime went with Angers nonetheless the more relieved of the two sides to hear it.
No way through
The second half began just as vibrantly as the first had ended with the sides exchanging early chances. Angelo Fulgini burst into the Sainté box and forced a save from Moulin straight from kick-off (46'), and Bouanga attempted to return fire minutes later, slaloming past Ismaël Traoré, Manceau and Lassana Coulibaly, only to see his effort kept out by Bernardoni (52'). The Angers 'keeper then had to be on his toes to turn Yvan Neyou's effort out for a corner (58'). Timothée Kolodziejczak had a gilt-edged chance to head Saint-Étienne into the lead when he met Boudebouz's corner, but the big defender's effort went past the wrong side of the post (68'). The teams both struggled to create chances in the final 20 minutes - the coming midweek fixtures perhaps responsible for the drop in pace - and it ended 0-0.
THE PLAYER: Paul Bernardoni
This would surely have been a long overdue win for ASSE if not for Bernardoni's intervention. The Angers shot-stopper exuded the confidence which previously made him the first choice for the France Under-21 team, and les Scoïstes can be confident of extending their high-flying start to the season with him underpinning the team.
THE STAT: 11
Saint-Étienne remain without a win in Ligue 1 Uber Eats since the opening day when they beat Olympique de Marseille 2-0 at the Orange Vélodrome, which is now 11 games ago. Few would have predicted les Verts' travails since, but the share of the points here does at least lift Claude Puel's men to 14th, five points clear of the automatic relegation places.
