Saint-Etienne, ten-time former French champions, have secured their return to the top flight following a dramatic relegation/promotion play-off win against Metz, who now drop to the second division. The decisive second leg ended 2-2 after extra time, resulting in a 4-3 aggregate victory for Saint-Etienne, bolstered by their 2-1 first-leg win on Thursday.
The crucial moment came in the 117th minute when Ibrahima Wadji scored from close range, ensuring Saint-Etienne’s promotion. The team played with a man advantage for much of the match following Papa Diallo’s early red card.
This promotion comes two years after Saint-Etienne’s relegation. This season, they finished third in Ligue 2, setting up the play-off against Metz, who were third from bottom in Ligue 1.
For Metz, this marks their record seventh relegation from the top flight since the turn of the century.
