2 – 3
“Thierno Ballo opens the scoring for Dijon after a spell of pressure, finishing off an assist from Irvin Cardona.”
“After several blocked and saved efforts, Samy Chouchane levels for Saint-Étienne right before halftime, assisted by Paul Bellon.”
“Chouchane grabs his second of the match to put Saint-Étienne ahead for the first time, capping a sustained spell of pressure from corners and blocked shots.”
Pivotal“Thierno Ballo scores his second of the game to drag Dijon level again at 2-2, continuing a pattern of the home side matching every Saint-Étienne blow.”
Pivotal“Substitute-fueled pressure pays off as Augustine Boakye finishes from a Zurab Davitashvili assist to restore Saint-Étienne's lead for good, coming after a flurry of changes from both benches.”
Pivotal
Dijon
Saint-Étienne
Outstanding performance
Dijon•MidfielderSaint-Étienne's superior control of the ball and territory eventually told, despite Dijon matching them goal for goal deep into the second half. The visitors racked up 54 dangerous attacks to Dijon's 23 and created four big chances against two, but it was the efficiency of Samy Chouchane's brace that gave them the platform before Augustine Boakye's 80th-minute strike sealed it. Thierno Ballo was the home side's outlet, scoring either side of halftime to cancel out both of Saint-Étienne's leads and keep Dijon in the contest until the very end. The result continues Saint-Étienne's stronger recent form and title-race ambitions, while Dijon will rue their profligacy in front of goal and a defense that couldn't hold a two-goal cushion mentality against a side that created almost twice as many chances.
How entertaining was this match?
Nadir El Jamali comes on for Zurab Davitashvili.
Quentin Bernard takes a header shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Irvin Cardona takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Samy Chouchane takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Brandon Ndezi takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Substitution: Adam Baallal comes on for Augustine Boakye.
Michael Barreto is substituted for Moussa Faty.
Augustine BoakyeShot by Augustine Boakye with his left foot results in a goal.
assist: Zuriko Davitashvili
Goal! Augustine Boakye scores to make it 2-3, assisted by Zurab Davitashvili.
Jordan Marie is substituted off for Adel Lembezat.
Ylan Aka is on, and Paul Bellon is off.
Adel Lembezat takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Kevin Pedro takes a shot with his right foot, but it is saved.
On comes Ben Old, off goes Tamar Svetlin.
On comes Joshua Duffus, off goes Thierno Ballo.
Alexis Ntamack is on, and Tyris Dong is off.
Yanis Barka replaces Julio Tavares.
Thierno BalloShot - Thierno Ballo Head Shot Goal
Kevin Pedro takes a shot with his right foot, but it's saved.
Goal! Thierno Ballo scores, bringing the match to 2-2.
Tyris Dong takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Maxime Bernauer takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Corner awarded.
Sohaib Nair takes a shot with his head, but it is saved.
Irvin Cardona takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Samy ChouchaneShot! Samy Chouchane scores with a left-footed shot.
Samy Chouchane takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Goal! Samy Chouchane scores, making it 2-1.
Julio Tavares takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Tyris Dong takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Tyris Dong takes a shot with his head, but it misses the target.
Thierno Ballo takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Aron Csongvai takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
The first half ends with a score of 1-1.
Yellow card shown to Zurab Davitashvili.
Paul Bellon receives a yellow card.
Maxime Bernauer takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Corner awarded.
Samy ChouchaneShot from Samy Chouchane with his right foot results in a goal.
assist: Paul Bellon
Goal! Samy Chouchane scores to make it 1-1, assisted by Paul Bellon.
Brandon Ndezi takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Kevin Pedro takes a shot with his right foot, but it's saved.
Brandon Ndezi takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Thierno BalloThierno Ballo scores with a right-footed shot.
assist: Irvin Cardona
Goal! Thierno Ballo scores to make it 1-0, assisted by Irvin Cardona.
Thierno Ballo takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Shot - Sohaib Nair Head Shot Missed
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Kick-off! The referee is Benoit Millot.
Table-topping Saint-Étienne head to a struggling Dijon side looking to make it four wins from four in Ligue 2's early season. Dijon, still searching for their first victory, will need something special at Gaston-Gérard to halt the visitors' perfect start.
