Saint-Etienne 1-0 Metz

THE MATCH

With the hosts second-from-bottom and the visitors a place above them thanks to goal difference, and bottom side Bordeaux and 17th-placed Troyes, who play later on Sunday, all locked together on 22 points at the start of the weekend, no one was in any doubt that this was a huge game.

The capacity crowd at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard were fully aware of that too, and they boisterously got behind their side, who made a start as bright as the sunshine that bathed the early afternoon kick-off.

Bouanga miscued a shot from Sada Thioub's fine ball in from the right (5') and then did find the net when the on-loan Angers man produced another excellent cross — the Metz players' instant appeals to referee Jérémy Stinat that Bounga had used his hand to help him head home were proven by VAR (19').

Metz had drawn three of their last four games without scoring, though Louis Mafouta — one of a swathe of January signings on the pitch for both sides — might have found the net when a Saint-Etienne new arrival Eliaquim Mangala inadvertently flicked a cross into his path inside the hosts' penalty area, but his shot lacked the power and precision to beat Paul Bernardoni (28').

The Saint-Etienne goalkeeper, secured on loan from Angers in the winter transfer window, was fortunate that a goalmouth scramble caused by his inability to deal with a high ball did not end with Metz captain Dylan Bronn firing home (35') as things were on a knife edge at the break.

Bouanga — as he had done in last weekend's defeat at Paris Saint-Germain — broke the deadlock early in the second half. Falaye Sacko's ball in from the right was — like Mangala in the first half — flicked on by an opposition defender, but Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik was not as fortunate as the former Manchester City centre-back with Bouanga smashing a half-volley beyond Marc-Aurèle Caillard despite slipping into the shot (52').

Caillard then denied Bouanga with an outstretched foot from close range (71'), and saw the Gabon international hit a post before forcing another stop in quick succession (81') before Metz thought they had a lifeline.

Sacko tangled with Nicolas de Préville in the box, but having pointed to the spot, Mr. Stinat reversed his decision after VAR had spotted a foul by Metz substitute Pape Matar Sarr in the build-up to the incident (86').

Another substitute, the hosts' Adil Aouchiche, would have added a second but for another fine Caillard save, but Pascal Dupraz's men held on to move into 16th place and ensure that — whatever the outcome of the game in Bordeaux — they will enjoy the week out of the bottom three.

THE PLAYER: Denis Bouanga

On another day, he would have finished with three or four goals, but found Caillard and the woodwork unyielding. He provided both assists in his team's last home game — the 2-2 draw with Strasbourg — and while his goal at PSG counted for little, this one certainly did.

THE STAT: 3

This was only the eighth game this season in which Saint-Etienne have opened the scoring, and just the third time they have gone on to win.