It was an afternoon of playing the otter rather than going to the Hainaut stadium where Valenciennes conceded this Saturday its seventeenth defeat in thirty days of the Championship. The celebration, for the northern club, is hoped for Tuesday evening against Lyon in the semi-finals of the Coupe de la France. In L2, the hope of brightening up the season has evaporated for many weeks already, and the arrival of Saint-Etienne was no exception.
A header from Ibrahim Sissoko, free from any marking after a tumble from Yvann Maçon on the right, allowed the Greens to take control in the 22nd minute. And the suspense definitely disappeared eight minutes later when Ivin Cardona got past the Valencia defense, from a corner, to score his sixth goal in six matches (30th).
Loaned this winter by Augsburg, the striker helped transform the face of a team which now remains in seven matches without defeat (including six wins). Saint-Etienne, 2nd, has temporarily overtaken Angers – which travels to Concarneau at 7:00 p.m. His demonstration could have been even more brilliant if the goals from Mickaël Nadé (7th) and Thomas Monconduit (76th) had not been refused for an offside position or if Mathieu Cafaro, in a good position, had not missed the frame (74th).
Despite a timid reaction embodied by a shot from Anthony Knockaert repelled by Gautier Larsonneur (66th), Valenciennes will have to show something else on Tuesday evening against OL to hope to play spoilsport. We will have to see if Mathias Oyewusi, out injured (39th), will be recovered by then. Knockaert’s admission to Bein Sport: “It’s not nice to say that but everyone already had their minds set on Lyon.”
