Eirik Horneland couldn't dream of a better debut on the Stéphanois bench this Saturday. Because although trailing in the 40th minute of play, the Stéphanois took the lead again before winning by two goals (3-1). An offensive success, too little seen since ASSE's return to Ligue 1.
With a new coach at the helm, the Greens revealed a completely different face against Reims. Keito Nakamura allowed Lucas Elsner's players to take the lead against the run of play with a volley into the area. But upon returning from the locker room, Augustine Boakye, started at the last moment due to an ill Davitashvili, reset the counters to zero. Mickaël Nadé improvised as a winger for a few seconds. The 1m93 defender sent a caviar at the feet of the Ghanaian, who only had to push the ball into the back of the net to score his first goal in Green. Then, seven minutes later, Boakye did it again with a shot into the top corner. Lucas Stassin with the assist, then scorer for the 3-1, 10 minutes before the final whistle (80').
Eirik Horneland, new ASSE coach, at a press conference: “It's fantastic. It was really beautiful. I was very happy to be able to admire and see this team spirit. It's something that is very important for me, which is very important for Saint-Étienne. “
ASSE in offensive success
The playing strategy established by the Norwegian coach radically changed the face of Saint-Étienne. Initially much more solid, the Greens scored three goals against Reims. A first since October 5, 2024 against Auxerre, through a Zuriko Davitashvili of the big days (treble).
This time, ASSE did not hesitate to prove more impactful on the attacking front. With 14 shots attempted in 90 minutes (four on target), the Greens made as many attempts as in all of the last four matches preceding this Saturday's meeting (two against Rennes, three against Marseille, three against Toulouse, then four against Marseille).
