Chapter 70 - 68 - Draw

Chapter 70: Chapter 68 - Draw

Saint-Étienne opened the scoring soon afterwards.

Their right-sided midfielder escaped the first pressure and switched direction before Metz could finish moving across. The receiver came inside, exchanged a quick pass near the edge of the area and carried forward when one defender stepped out.

The next ball went left.

An attacker reached it inside the box and struck across the goalkeeper.

The shot reached the far corner.

The Saint-Étienne bench jumped up while whistles rolled down from the stands.

Rafael turned toward halfway.

FC METZ 0–1 SAINT-ÉTIENNE

Metz restarted, but Saint-Étienne forced the next possession backwards and recovered a loose second ball near midfield.

The first pass went left and pulled Metz’s line across. Before everyone had recovered, the ball came back toward the opposite side.

The receiving attacker drove at the box.

One centre-back stepped out.

The pass slipped beside him, and another green shirt reached it before the covering defender could close.

He struck low inside the near post.

The goalkeeper turned, hit the turf once with his glove and went into the net.

FC METZ 0–2 SAINT-ÉTIENNE

Caron came alongside Rafael as they walked toward the centre circle.

"When it comes, keep it."

Rafael nodded.

The referee restarted the match.

Metz went right.

Perrin received near the touchline, returned possession inside and continued his run. Rafael had moved several metres away from Renaud and took the next pass facing goal.

The defender in front of him backed toward the box.

Rafael carried forward.

There was room outside the area, and his first movement opened his body toward the shot.

Caron appeared behind the defender.

Rafael slipped the pass into him instead.

Caron took it forward while Rafael continued his run, and the attack travelled right toward Perrin.

His cross struck the full-back and went behind for a corner.

The delivery was headed away at the near post, but Metz collected outside the area and worked the ball across the pitch instead of sending it straight back in.

The next direct pass went toward Renaud.

A centre-back leaned through him as the ball dropped, but Renaud planted himself and brought it down against his chest.

Caron arrived underneath.

Renaud laid it into his path.

Caron sent the ball right.

Perrin attacked the full-back and had his first cross blocked back toward him. He collected the rebound and delivered again, with another deflection carrying the ball behind.

Caron jogged across to take the set piece.

Rafael positioned himself beyond the group forming around the six-yard box, while Renaud stood between Saint-Étienne’s centre-backs.

The referee separated two players and backed away.

Caron delivered high.

Renaud attacked the central space.

Both centre-backs went with him.

The ball carried over all three.

One of Metz’s defenders came charging in from deeper and met it almost unchallenged.

His header bounced down toward goal.

The goalkeeper got fingertips to it without keeping it out.

Saint-Symphorien erupted.

The scorer ran toward the corner with both arms spread as teammates chased him. Rafael reached the group, slapped him across the back and started away when the referee called everyone toward halfway.

FC METZ 1–2 SAINT-ÉTIENNE

Saint-Étienne attacked immediately from the restart.

Their right winger received early, came inside and shot through a defender’s legs. Metz’s goalkeeper saw it late but managed to get both hands down and push the ball away before a centre-back cleared into the stand.

Rafael moved back toward halfway.

Metz’s next possession went directly toward Renaud.

He took the ball on his chest and laid it into Caron’s path as Rafael started behind the closest centre-back.

The second defender moved across early.

Rafael checked the run.

Caron sent the ball right instead.

Perrin received and crossed, but a defender headed clear.

Several minutes later, Perrin found room again and lifted another delivery toward Renaud. The striker climbed with a centre-back leaning heavily through his shoulder and made contact, although the header travelled wide.

Renaud landed, clapped his hands once and jogged away.

When Metz came down the right again, Rafael began several metres farther from him.

Perrin moved inside and released the overlapping full-back. Saint-Étienne’s wide defender followed the run toward the corner before the ball came back inside.

Perrin looked up.

Renaud went hard toward the near post.

One centre-back followed him.

The second shifted into the same lane.

Rafael stayed near the penalty spot.

Perrin shaped to deliver.

Rafael moved half a step away.

The pass came low behind Renaud’s run and travelled through the space between the retreating defenders.

Rafael met it first time.

His right foot sent the ball across the goalkeeper and inside the left side of the net.

Rafael shouted as he turned.

The sound vanished beneath Saint-Symphorien.

He ran toward the stand with both arms spread before Caron caught him from the left. Perrin crashed into his other side, and Renaud arrived a second later and struck Rafael twice across the back.

More burgundy shirts crowded around them.

Someone grabbed the back of Rafael’s shirt while another arm came across his shoulders.

The referee pointed repeatedly toward halfway.

Rafael looked back at the goal.

He pushed through the group and ran into the net.

The ball rested near the side netting.

Rafael picked it up and ran back out.

Perrin came alongside him.

"Come on."

Rafael tucked the ball against his side and accelerated toward halfway.

Renaud was already close to the centre circle.

FC METZ 2–2 SAINT-ÉTIENNE

The visitors tried to slow the restart with possession, but Metz pressed them backwards until the goalkeeper sent the ball long.

A home centre-back won the header.

Caron collected underneath.

The stands rose again.

Metz worked left, returned through midfield and switched toward Perrin.

Rafael entered the right side of the area while Renaud stayed between the centre-backs.

Perrin fired the pass into Rafael’s feet.

A defender recovered from inside, and the goalkeeper had already shifted toward the near post.

Rafael took one touch closer.

The angle narrowed.

Renaud was arriving centrally.

Rafael drove the ball across the box.

Renaud reached it with the centre-back pressing through his shoulder and struck while the contact pulled him slightly off balance.

The goalkeeper dropped and pushed the effort clear.

A defender reached the rebound before Caron and sent it outside the area.

Renaud stopped with both hands on his head.

Rafael had already turned toward the loose ball.

Metz recovered and attacked again, although Perrin’s next delivery travelled beyond everyone.

Saint-Étienne broke from the following possession.

A pass toward Caron was intercepted near halfway, and three green shirts moved forward before Metz could reset.

The ball travelled left.

Metz’s full-back retreated beside the winger while a midfielder sprinted across from inside.

The winger carried into the box and tried to pull the ball back toward the penalty spot.

A defender slid into the lane.

The pass struck his boot and went behind.

Rafael returned to defend the corner.

The delivery travelled toward the far post, where a Saint-Étienne defender rose above the nearest challenge and headed back across goal.

Metz’s goalkeeper pushed through two players and caught the ball against his chest.

He stayed down for several seconds before the referee told him to stand.

When play resumed, the goalkeeper sent the ball long toward Renaud.

Renaud won the first contact.

Rafael moved toward the second ball, but a Saint-Étienne midfielder reached it first and drove it toward the touchline.

The referee checked his watch and blew for full time.

FC METZ 2–2 SAINT-ÉTIENNE

Rafael stopped near the centre circle with his hands on his hips.

The defender who had scored Metz’s first punched the air once before turning toward the supporters. Perrin remained closer to the Saint-Étienne area, staring back at the goal where Renaud’s late effort had nearly completed the comeback.

Caron came over and touched Rafael’s shoulder.

"Come on."

Rafael nodded.

They headed toward the stands.

Renaud joined them on the way.

The dressing room was louder than Bauer had been, although nobody treated the draw like a win.

The centre-back who had scored was surrounded near the showers, while Perrin sat several places from Rafael arguing with a full-back about one of the final deliveries.

"You stopped running."

"I was already at the back post."

"You stopped."

"It went over me."

Perrin shook his head and pulled off his shin guard.

Rafael sat at his place and began removing the tape from his wrists.

Someone had a phone out near the showers, replaying Metz’s first goal while two defenders leaned across to watch the header again.

The coach entered before Rafael had taken off his boots.

Conversation faded.

"Good response."

His eyes moved around the room.

"We’ll go through the match after recovery. Get yourselves home."

The coach walked out.

The room slowly grew noisy again.

Rafael loosened the knot in his right boot and pushed it beneath the bench.

Renaud sat two places away, bent over his own laces while Caron spoke quietly beside him. Whatever Caron said made Renaud shake his head before pulling the boot free.

Perrin had found somebody else to argue with about the cross.

Rafael changed, folded his match kit into his bag and closed the zip.

Renaud stood at almost the same time.

Caron reached the door ahead of them and pushed it open.

Rafael followed.

Renaud came through behind him, and the three of them walked down the corridor together.