Rodez stun Red Star to keep Ligue 1 dream alive
Red Star FC’s dream return to the top flight came to a heartbreaking end on Tuesday night as Rodez AF produced a remarkable comeback to win 3-2 at Stade Bauer and book a play-off clash against AS Saint-Étienne.
In a frantic and dramatic Ligue 2 promotion play-off, the Audoniens twice led through Kévin Cabral and Josué Escartin, but Didier Santini’s side responded each time before striking decisively with two goals in the space of two minutes midway through the second half.
The defeat ends an impressive campaign for Grégory Poirier’s men, who had finished fourth in Ligue 2 and entered the tie with home advantage after edging Rodez on goal difference.
Red Star started brightly after weathering an energetic opening from the visitors. Cabral opened the scoring after 15 minutes, rising superbly to meet Durand’s inviting cross and looping a powerful header beyond Lionel Mpasi-Nzau’s replacement, Sébastien Cibois Braat.
Rodez, however, continued to threaten in transition and deservedly equalised just before the half-hour mark. Ibrahima Baldé finished cleverly with a deft flick from close range after a low delivery from Tawfik Bentayeb Arconte.
The contest remained open throughout, with both sides attacking aggressively in their respective 3-5-2 systems. Red Star regained the advantage shortly after the interval when Escartin reacted quickest inside the area following a corner, finishing smartly into the far corner.
Yet the game completely turned on its head in a breathtaking three-minute spell. First, substitute Mathis Magnin thundered home a volley from the edge of the box after Rodez recycled another set-piece. Moments later, Wilitty Younoussa arrived at the back post to convert Baldé’s low cross and complete the turnaround.
The visitors could have extended their lead further on the counterattack as Red Star threw bodies forward in pursuit of an equaliser. Poussin denied Baldé in a crucial one-on-one situation, while Younoussa and Arconte both squandered late opportunities to kill the match.
Red Star pushed desperately during six minutes of stoppage time, but frustration eventually boiled over when Giovanni Haag was shown a straight red card for dissent deep into added time.
Rodez, unbeaten in Ligue 2 since November, now travel to Geoffroy-Guichard on Friday to face Saint-Étienne for a place in the final promotion play-off against the 16th-placed Ligue 1 side.
For Red Star, meanwhile, the defeat brings a cruel conclusion to a season that had reignited hope around Bauer and strengthened belief that the historic club could soon return to the French top flight.
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