AS Saint-Etienne won (2-0) against SCO Angers, who remained on five consecutive victories, Monday evening at the end of the 12th day of Ligue 2 and moved into second place in the ranking .
With 24 points, the Greens, who are now ten matches without defeat, overtake Angers (23 pts) and come back to two lengths behind the Laval leader (26 pts), held in check in Amiens on Saturday (0-0).
After a prolific first period in shots (23, a record in a first period in Ligue 2 this season), but not in goals (0-0 at the break), the Stéphanois opened the scoring thanks to their striker Ibrahim Sissoko , author of his eighth achievement of the season.
On a corner taken by Cafaro, Sissoko won his duel with Hountondji before heading the ball into the goal (50th). Nine minutes later, full-back Léo Pétrot, author of a heroic tackle in front of Lois Diony in the first period, doubled the lead by lodging his shot between the legs of Angevin goalkeeper Yahia Fofana (59th).
If the SCO players no longer managed to appear dangerous after the two Saint-Etienne goals, they could have opened the scoring in the first period.
But Etienne Green, starting in the absence of Gauthier Larsonneur, injured in a shoulder on Saturday in training, had decided otherwise. The 23-year-old goalkeeper flew out of the frame with a half-volley from Himad Abdelli (18th) before winning his duel three minutes later against Loïs Diony, a former member of the Green House.
The Stéphanois also proved dangerous on several occasions before the break but Fofana closed his angle well on a shot from Benjamin Bouchouari after a slalom from the Stéphanois midfielder in the Angevin defense (23rd), before repelling the strike with a firm hand as a pivot for Sissoko (30th).
Before kick-off, the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium paid tribute to Salif Keita, former Greens scorer who died on September 2. In five years with the Greens, the Malian striker scored 143 goals and won three French Championships (1968, 1969, 1970).
The Stéphanois will host Paris FC (16th) on Saturday to open the 13th day, while Angers will host Valenciennes (18th) at 7:00 p.m.
