After a seventh consecutive head-to-head draw inside 90 minutes was played out, with the score stuck at 1-1 after extra time, Auxerre beat Saint-Étienne on penalties in their Ligue 1 relegation play-off second leg, to end their 10-year hiatus from the top tier.As green smoke hung in the electric Stade Geoffroy-Guichard air, Auxerre found themselves being suffocated by their hosts in the opening stages, but Donovan Léon made a vital save to stop Denis Bouanga giving Les Verts the lead in the third minute.Adil Aouchiche also forced an intelligent fingertip save from the Auxerre custodian near the end of the half, but the visitors gave as good as they got in between, with Les Diplomates’ frontman Gaëtan Charbonnier cutting a determined figure, only to find himself well-marshalled at every turn.After a goalless first half filled with palpable tension, Hamza Sakhi latched onto Mathias Autret’s cross and looped a superb header out of Bernardoni’s reach in the 51st minute, plunging the Verts’ faithful into stunned silence. Capitalising on the momentum of a shock opener, Gaulthier Hein had an opportunity to bury the hosts for good, after a brilliant break saw him skip away from Eliaquim Mangala, but the blue-haired midfielder was unable to hit the target.That would prove costly, as Enzo Crivelli conjured a header that Mahdi Camara nipped in to divert into the net with 15 minutes to play.With growing belief in the face of a determined challenger for their top-flight place, Les Verts had a golden chance to achieve salvation when Quentin Bernard fell asleep at the back post, but Arnaud Nordin’s header was routinely saved by Léon, and the eventual fulltime scoreline of 1-1 always had a strong feeling of inevitability.Although sharpness was understandably at a premium for both teams, extra time saw an audacious attempt from Auxerre substitute Alexandre Coeff fizz agonisingly wide, while Harold Moukoudi’s header floated marginally over the crossbar at the other end. No further goals were forthcoming, and the ensuing penalty shootout was fraught with tension, as potentially life-changing money hinged on just ten agonising spot-kick duels.⬆️ Welcome to the @Ligue1UberEats, @AJA! 🤩#ASSEAJA pic.twitter.com/U0OjggVWIw— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 29, 2022 After nine penalties, the score stood at 4-4 with Auxerre to shoot last, and it was Birama Touré who proved the hero, scoring the decisive penalty to thrust Auxerre into Ligue 1, and become just the second Ligue 2 side to earn promotion through the play-offs since their introduction in 2016/17. Meanwhile, St Étienne are condemned to their first season in the second tier since 2004/05 having failed to win any of their last eight matches, and leave the top-flight in disgrace, following an on-pitch riot that ensued almost immediately after the fateful penalty, with flares thrown towards players scarpering to the safety of the dressing room.LIGUE 1PlayoffSaint Etienne – Auxerre 1-1 (0-0) – 4-5 on penalties/Camara 76 -Sakhi 51/©FlashScore
