Saint-Étienne took all three points with a 3-0 away win at Sochaux, settling the match inside a remarkable six-minute spell before the half-hour mark. Sochaux had more of the ball with 53% possession and 12 shots, but Saint-Étienne were far sharper in front of goal, landing five of their 11 attempts on target.
Jakob Breum opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, finishing from Augustine Boakye's assist to make it 0-1. Two minutes later Irvin Cardona doubled the lead after Breum turned provider, and Cardona struck again in the 28th minute from Thierno Ballo's pass to complete the 0-3 scoring. Breum was shown a yellow card in the 66th minute.
Irvin Cardona was the decisive figure, scoring twice as Saint-Étienne turned four big chances into three goals, while Sochaux created none. Despite losing the possession battle and managing only two shots on target, the visitors' clinical finishing and 4-2 edge in goalkeeper saves told the story.
