France's co-most successful club Saint-Etienne are headed for Ligue 1 BKT next season after losing out 5-4 on penalties in the second leg of their promotion Play-off with AJ Auxerre after both the first and second legs had finished one goal apiece.
After the first leg in Auxerre ended 1-1 on Thursday night, the tie was still wide open and Auxerre thought they had got the job done when Hamza Sakhi opened the scoring (51') in the second leg in Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
Léon the hero
However, Wahbi Khazri's leveller fired extra time and then penalties, but Sainté never recovered after Auxerre hero Donovan Léon saved the very first penalty of the shootout, from Ryan Boudebouz. All of the Auxerre players hit the mark and so when substitute Rémy Dugimont blasted home their fifth, it was all over and Auxerre put an end to ten years in the wilderness while Saint-Etienne were left to start making preparations for Ligue 2 BKT.
"I was with the club when we were relegated in 2012, so to come back to my boyhood club (in 2020) and to be back in the top flight is a real pleasure! I've been through so many difficulties," said the man who made no fewer than eight saves as Auxerre got the job done. "I was brought back, so I thank those who trusted me and believed in me. Nobody believed in us during the play-offs. It was very complicated, but we managed to clinch promotion."
Big five for Furlan
The promotion marks the fifth time that Auxerre coach Jean-Marc Furlan has taken a side from Ligue 1 BKT to Ligue 1 Uber Eats - three times with Troyes and once with Brest - which is twice more than any other coach, but it's just the second time that a Ligue 2 BKT side has prevailed in the Play-off (after Troyes beat Lorient 2-1 on aggregate).
