ASSE & Brest share the spoils in breathless 3-3 draw

Saint-Étienne and Brest played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at Stade Geoffrey Guichard with a brace from Ludovic Ajorque and Irvin Cardona. Les Verts fought back three times from a losing position to add a little hope to their run-in ambitions of staying up in Ligue 1 McDonald's by the end of the season. Brest meanwhile, stumbled thrice to defend their lead and in turn harm their objective to reach the UEFA Conference League.

Brest wasted little time in showing their superiority in the opening exchanges. After an early warning from Pereira Lage, the visitors took the lead in the 6th minute. Cardona was dispossessed high up the pitch by Pereira Lage, whose low cross found Ajorque free in the area. The former Strasbourg striker made no mistake, clinically finishing past Larsonneur to end a two-month goal drought.

Despite Les Pirates' dominance, Les Verts would respond with plenty of character. A Davitashvili corner was flicked on by Nadé, allowing Lucas Stassin to smash home the equaliser at the far post (17').  It was the Belgian’s sixth goal in as many games – continuing a recent excellent run of form.

The parity didn’t last long. Just eight minutes later, another set piece proved to be Saint-Étienne’s undoing. A long free-kick from the right was completely misjudged by Larsonneur, allowing Abdallah Sima to nod into an empty net to restore Brest’s lead (25').

But again, the hosts bounced back. It was another Davitashvili corner that caused panic, with Cardona arriving at the near post to flick a powerful header past Bizot for 2-2 (34').The free-flowing goals wouldn't stop there: Pereira Lage’s delivery from a freekick was met by Ajorque, who outjumped everyone to guide a firm header into the net. 3-2 Brest at the break in what was a breathless opening 45 minutes.

Free-flowing goals at Stade Geoffrey Guichard 

After a chaotic first half, the second period began with a more controlled tempo. Brest looked the more composed of the two sides, although Saint-Étienne came out with better pressing. A near-miss from Camara on a whipped Lala cross and a gutsy run from Nadé leading to a corner hinted at danger, but Brest's defence held firm.

Ajorque would have to leave the pitch after suffering a gash to his right knee, before his substitute Mama Baldé would rattle the bar with a superb volley just seconds after coming on the pitch. Les Pirates would come to regret that miss as Sainté would once again claw their way back into the game. It was another moment of class from Irvin Cardona: After being fed through on goal, the Frenchman controlled well and lobbed in superbly over Bizot and got his side back on level terms (80').

Les Verts gave everything to push in the final minutes of the game, as Appiah's cross found Zuriko Davitashvili whose header rattled the crossbar. Les Pirates had one last counter attack as Mahdi Camara's strike was parried by Larsonneur before Ekwah had to clear off the line in the final seconds of injury time.

Match Reaction

Zuriko Davitashvili - "It was a good reaction but we conceded three goals. We know we can score, but if we can concede less we can win more games. We need to work a bit more defensively, even the attackers too. After the first half we thought we could change the attacking style, we played very well in the second half and pushed Brest and got a bit unlucky with my header hitting the bar at the end."

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