A second-half penalty from Ryad Boudebouz earned Saint-Étienne a 1-1 draw against Troyes at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Friday night.
THE MATCH
Billed this week as the 'clash of the firefighters' in reference to the flames respective coaches Pascal Dupraz and Bruno Irles were brought in to contain, Saint-Étienne and Troyes both had the opportunity to put some clear daylight between themselves and the bottom three with a victory at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Irles' Troyes had the better of a cagey start to the match with Abdu Conté and Xavier Chavalerin looking particularly dangerous on the counter. Dupraz had earlier stated the importance of the Saint-Étienne support acting as a 12th man but the Champagne side clearly didn't get the memo as they silenced 'The Cauldron' with their first meaningful attempt on goal.
Deadlock broken
Saint-Étienne 'keeper Paul Bernadoni initially pulled off a fine save to deny Ike Ugbo from 15 yards but was unable to do anything to prevent Lebo Mothiba turning home Abdu Conté's resulting cross, to register his second goal since signing for Troyes in January (18').
Sainté were ruffled by the early deficit and despite enjoying plenty of possession, were unable to penetrate a resolute Troyes defence.
Dupraz saw his side test Troyes shot-stopper Gauthier Gallon late in the half when Ryad Boudebouz's 20-yard volley was saved, four minutes before the interval. Top scorer Wahbi Khazri was next to test Gallon but his free-kick was palmed away in first-half stoppage time.
Any hope of a gung-ho start to the second half for the hosts was immediately dispelled as Les Verts slipped back into the same uninspiring display as shown in the first half.
Troyes were comfortably shutting Saint-Étienne out and just as importantly, keeping the decibel level from the stands to a minimum.
Lifeline
Despite not looking particularly dangerous in front of goal, Saint-Étienne were handed a lifeline when Erik Palmer-Brown chopped down Mahdi Camara, conceding a penalty in the process. Ryad Boudebouz subsequently stepped up and made no mistake from 12-yards to level the score (67').
The Cauldron was back at its usual level as 30,000 fans willed Dupraz's troops to find the winner to propel them out of the drop zone.
Troyes held firm against any Saint-Étienne threat and even registered a couple of half-chances of their own but with the game petering out and both sides seemingly opting to stick rather than twist, it was a point apiece in the battle to avoid the drop.
Saint-Étienne go into the international break in a provisional 18th place whilst Troyes stay in 15th, two-points ahead of Les Verts.
THE PLAYER: Ryad Boudebouz
The Algerian international snatched his third goal of the season from the penalty spot to earn Saint-Étienne an important point against a direct relegation rival. The 32-year-old was Sainté's best performer on the night and kept his cool in the key moment of the game for Les Verts.
THE STAT: 51
Saint-Étienne have now conceded a whopping 51 goals (second worst behind Bordeaux) after 29 games. It is the first time they have shipped this total of goals after 29 games in Ligue 1 Uber Eats since the 1958/59 season.
