Stalemate hurts Saint Etienne’s European ambitions.
Saint-Etienne’s bid for Champions League football next season suffered a blow as they were held a to a goalless draw at home to Bordeaux.
Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed the hosts’ best chances as a resolute Cedric Carrasco kept Saint-Etienne at bay in a miserable contest at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard as the 23-year-old marksman failed to add to his season’s tally of 19 goals.
The result extended Saint-Etienne’s unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to 16 matches but the stalemate saw Christophe Galtier’s side stay a point behind rivals Lyon, who travel to Nancy on Sunday, in the race for the final Champions League spot.
A third straight draw enabled Bordeaux to move above Montpellier into eighth but their European ambitions are all but over.
A cagey opening period saw Aubameyang fire a low strike that flashed narrowly wide of Cedric Carrasco’s far post, while the Bordeaux goalkeeper reacted well to keep out Romain Hamouma’s angled shot before Henri Saivet’s miscued clearance sent the ball crashing against the frame of his own goal from the ensuing corner.
Joshua Guilavogui was thwarted by an acrobatic save from Carrasco just after the break, while Brandao sent a tame header straight at the visiting custodian.
The wasteful Aubameyang was then again off target as he could only find the side netting from a tight angle when perhaps squaring to Brandao may have proved the better option with neither side ultimately able to find a breakthrough.
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