Bordeaux held to a draw by Saint-Étienne [1-1]

There was a gala atmosphere inside the Matmut ATLANTIQUE as the fans took their seats for the first game in today's Girondins/Girondines double-header. Bordeaux dominated possession early on, and looked the most enterprising of the two sides, while Saint-Étienne's best moments came from counter-attacks. The Girondins had the first shot on goal, an early effort from Dilane Bakwa (2’). After twenty minutes of intense back-and-forth, the visitors had two chances in quick succession (26’ and 27’). Other than that, the Girondins had the best of the first half. Fransergio tested Larsonneur with a powerful shot from distance (29’), and barely a minute later both Dilane Bakwa and Fransergio had chances to grab the opener (30’).

Laurent Batlles' side showed no signs of cracking, but David Guion's men were relentless. Yoann Barbet was perfectly-placed to clear a low-flying Saint-Etienne cross from the front post (34’). A few minutes later the stadium erupted when Josh Maja connected with a cross from Dilane Bakwa, only for Josh's shot to end up in the hands of Larsonneur (42’). Les Verts had time for one last chance before the break, but Mais Wadji missed the target (45+1’).

Things took a sudden turn for the better after the break, when the Girondins took the lead within a minute! Fransergio headed the ball down perfectly for Aliou Badji, who duly slammed it into the back of the net (46’, 1-0). The midfield battle was now more intense than ever, as the Girondins rushed forward in search of a swift second. Malcom Bokele and sub Zuriko Davitashvili both delivered probing crosses into the visitors' box, but Bordeaux's strikers could not quite get on the end of them (65’ and 68’).

The home supporters were in fine voice as the game rolled into its closing stages, urging the boys on to seal the win. Junior Mwanga found Josh Maja with a superb cross, but Maja's header was again stopped by the keeper (77’). Saint-Étienne never gave up on this game, and one of their counter-attacks finally paid off when a rash challenge from Clément Michelin handed them a penalty. Krasso did the honours and levelled the scores (82’, 1-1). Despite Bordeaux's efforts, there were to be no more goals and the game ended in stalemate. The Girondins will be back on the road next weekend, away to Sochaux on Saturday (11 March, kick-off 3pm).