St Etienne Claims Derby Victory Over Lyon Amid Controversial Incidents

A stellar performance from Lucas Stassin powered AS Saint-Etienne to a crucial victory, keeping their Ligue 1 survival hopes alive with a 2-1 win over fierce rivals Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard during the intense 125th Derby Rhone-Alpes.

Les Verts came out with purpose, testing the Lyon defence with a couple of early attempts that went off target. However, their persistence paid off on 10 minutes when Stassin deftly headed home Léo Pétrot’s pinpoint cross, slipping the ball through goalkeeper Remy Descamps’ legs for his 11th goal of the season.

Trouble for St Etienne’s star striker cropped up just 13 minutes later. Referee Francois Letexier initially issued a straight red card for what appeared to be a serious stamp on Corentin Tolisso’s ankle, which resulted in the Lyon midfielder being taken off on a stretcher.

After reviewing the incident on the pitchside VAR monitor, Letexier reversed his decision, changing the red card to a yellow.

As the first half drew to a close, Saint-Etienne remained the more dominant side, though Zuriko Davitashvili squandered a golden chance to extend their lead.

Confronted with a one-on-one against Descamps, the Georgian striker misfired his shot, sending the ball wide when it appeared easier to score or pass to a teammate. Matters on the pitch turned sour when an object was hurled from the stands, hitting a linesman and prompting a stoppage of over 30 minutes.

Lyon’s manager Paulo Fonseca opted for a tactical reshuffle at half-time, bringing on the more offensively inclined Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Thiago Almada.

These substitutions sparked an immediate reaction, as Alexandre Lacazette managed to evade St Etienne goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur but could not find a teammate in the box. Duje Caleta-Car then came close with a header that went narrowly wide.

At the other end of the pitch, Davitashvili missed another chance to seal the victory, shooting straight at Descamps, while Pierre Ekwah’s long-range strike rattled the crossbar.

Stassin, however, found the back of the net with aplomb, unleashing a thunderous shot from distance past Descamps after being allowed time and space to advance towards goal.

Yet, the match became interesting again as Tanner Tessmann reduced the deficit for Lyon with a brilliant side-foot finish, setting up a tense final 14 minutes.

Despite the mounting pressure, St Etienne kept their composure, securing a vital three points that could prove crucial in their relegation battle. Meanwhile, Lyon’s loss leaves them in sixth place, hampering their aspirations for European qualification next season.