Le havre beats Strasbourg in Ligue 1 and narrowly escapes relegation
Long in the Champions League race, Strasbourg finishes – for the moment – without a European spot! Beaten by a hair’s breadth by Le Havre (2-3) this Saturday during the 34th matchday of Ligue 1, RCSA finished 7th, a position that could still send the Alsatian club to the Conference League if PSG wins the Coupe de France. HAC, 15th, thus secured its survival in the final seconds!
At the end of a tense first half, Strasbourg and Le Havre drew 1-1 this Saturday during the 34th day of Ligue 1. Currently 6th, RCSA is virtually qualified for the Conference League, while HAC, 16th, is still in the relegation zone.
In a heated atmosphere at La Meinau, the Normans had some interesting opening minutes, with Touré’s first shot off target. Little by little, the Alsatians got into the game and Gorgelin even had to work hard on an attempt by Mara. Under pressure, HAC logically cracked on a Nanasi corner taken by Santos (1-0, 20th). The Alsatian fans were jubilant!
Despite this opening goal, RCSA continued to show an attacking face against a Le Havre team that was now overwhelmed… However, Petrovic still had to pull out all the stops to push away a volley from Soumaré! In the process, Strasbourg had another big scare when an attempt from Soumaré grazed the post… And just before the break, Barco conceded a penalty for handball and Touré took advantage to equalize (1-1, 43rd).
After the break, the Alsatians tried to come back with better intentions to force the decision on the offensive side. And quite logically, Strasbourg were rewarded with a goal from Nanasi, who was on the lookout to beat Gorgelin after a tackle from Lloris (2-1, 53rd). Almost devastated by this goal, the Normans struggled to react and respond to the opponent’s control for long minutes…
And yet, HAC thought they had equalized with a blunder by Petrovic, blocked by Kechta on a clearance then beaten by Hassan, but the VAR disallowed this goal for an illegal position by Le Havre. But in the process, Casimir did indeed equalize with a shot at the far post (2-2, 70th). As the final moments approached, Le Havre were unfortunate with a shot from Hassan on the bar! In response, Diarra missed a great opportunity in front of Gorgelin… Then in the final minutes, Omobamidele conceded a penalty on Ndiaye and was sent off! Facing Petrovic, Touré converted with a panenka and ensured his team’s survival (2-3, 90+8th)! Incredible!
