A narrow but well-deserved victory [1-0]

Time was ticking. The Girondins had already hit the post twice, but they were still looking for that elusive winning goal. Yacine Adli made the breakthrough with a superb pass for Hatem Ben Arfa. The No. 8, out on the right wing, controlled the ball and cut inside for the umpteenth time. But this time was different: Hatem charged past Perraud and smashed a shot between the keeper and the front post. Bordeaux were ahead at last: 1-0 (84’), and victory was just minutes away.

A victory hard-won but fully deserved. The Girondins had no shortage of chances to take the lead: in just the 5th minute Ui-Jo shrugged off his marker and fired in a shot. The rebound fell for Josh Maja, who teed up Mehdi Zerkane for a left-footed shot. Brest keeper Gautier Larsonneur was mightily relieved to see the ball bounce first off his left post and then off the right... He was well and truly beaten.

Bordeaux dominated possession throughout the first half, a state of affairs which did not seem to bother Brest, who focused their efforts on counter-attacks. This game of cat and mouse saw chances for both sides: Josh Maja (13’), Hatem Ben Arfa from a corner (27’) and Hwang Ui-Jo (29’) all came close. Brest saw chances fall to Honorat (9’) and Faivre (37’), but their best opportunity came courtesy of Cardona: a lightning-quick counter saw him play a double one-two before firing a cross into the box... which Paul Baysse dealt with admirably (34’).

The second half started at full throttle, with Ui-Jo coming within millimetres of beating Larsonneur. Hatem Ben Arfa picked out the Korean international with a well-placed lob, and his magnificent control and shot very nearly got the better of the keeper (48’). Larsonneur saved Brest time and again, with Toma Basic (57’), Youssouf Sabaly (58’) and Yacine Adli (87’) all denied by his acrobatic saves. They say that every great goalkeeper needs a little bit of luck, and Larsonneur was certainly very fortunate when the crossbar intervened to keep out a wonderful drive from Nicolas De Préville (65’).

Brest even had a chance to snatch a winner, when a free-kick taken by Franck Honorat set Paul Lasne free to smash the ball past Benoît Costil (51’). A goal subsequently disallowed by VAR, as Lasne was narrowly offside.

The Girondins kept their good run going today, racking up three more points with an encouraging performance full of energy and commitment. They never let their heads go down, battling throughout to secure a victory which could easily have slipped away from them. Well done to the boys in blue!