Engaged in a final game between Ligue 2 teams this Friday, Didier Santini’s Rodez AF was no match for AS Saint-Etienne, conquering in front of their home crowd (2-0) in the quest for a rise to the elite.
Winner of Paris FC on penalties a few days earlier, Rodez hoped to be able to continue his crazy season. This Friday, on the lawn of the Stade Geoffroy Guichard, the obstacle was nevertheless too great in the final of the Ligue 2 playoffs. Sixteenth budget of the championship, the Ruthenois suffered throughout the game, taking advantage first of the lack of the efficiency of the Stéphanois to stay alive. In his cages, Ewen Jaouen pushed back the deadline as best he could. What was supposed to happen, nevertheless happened on the hour mark, when Irvin Cardona got ahead of Serge-Philippe Raux Yao to cut, with a cross header, Dylan Chambost’s cross (1-0, 65′) at the near post. Ecstasy then takes hold of the audience. The visiting goalkeeper finally cracked, as he had just deflected a free kick onto his bar (59′). Then, it was in added time that the match definitively changed, with a number from Nathanaël Mbuku (90+6′) for the break goal. The Greens have never been so close to returning to Ligue 1. They will face FC Metz in the play-offs, on May 30 and then June 2.
This setback marks the end of an epic for Rodez, led by Didier Santini. The former LOSC resident did not seem particularly disappointed at the final whistle, aware that the step was too high for a team which was not programmed for that: “I want to congratulate my players for the season, for their self-sacrifice and for the energy they gave. Even if it wasn’t a great match, it especially lacked juice and lucidity to be more technically fair. We should only remember the positive, it was extraordinary. We made great teams doubt. My players showed all their talent, I will only have good memories of this season. We believed in it, but a little spark was missing. These will always be great memories.”he confided to the microphone of the teams of bein Sports at the end of the meeting.
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