Laval won with mastery in Grenoble (0-2), beaten for the fifth time in a row, and regained 3rd place in the championship on Monday at the end of the 28th day of Ligue 2.
Stade Lavallois, which had temporarily ceded its podium to Saint-Étienne, winner of Auxerre (1-0) on Saturday, now has 48 points, two units from second place, synonymous with a direct rise in the elite, occupied by Angers . The team coached by Olivier Frapolli consolidates its position as play-off player, now eight points ahead of Rodez, 6th (the play-offs for accession to L1 only concern teams classified from 3rd to 5th places).
The slump continues, however, for the Grenoblois in crisis of confidence and relegated to seventh place (40 pts). Third on the evening of the 23rd day after their defeat against Caen (5-1), the Isérois have had five losses in a row, and have won only one match in 2024. Although deprived of a few senior players Seidou, Tavares, Kadile and especially its top scorer Tchokounté (8 goals), Stade Lavallois delivered a serious, very diligent game to achieve its eighth away success of the season.
A sign of a team in full doubt, FC Grenoble’s first real opportunity came in the 50th minute of play following an overflow from Abdoulie Bamba who entered after the restart. Vincent Hognon’s men had until then had difficulty existing in the face of visitors determined in their intentions. The breakthrough of Labeau-Lascary, author of a cheeky slalom slammed for a corner by goalkeeper Maubleu (17th), started this match. The Tango then set foot on the game and it was quite logical that they took the lead thanks to a goal from Pablo Pagis served behind by Sanna after a good sequence of possession (31st).
Despite a semblance of a start at the restart, the Grenoblois continued to suffer the opposing attacks, Maubleu still having to save Labeau-Lascary’s strike for a corner with an exceptional save (59th). The latter was subsequently unlucky on a beautiful volley following this corner. The fourth attempt was the right one: he transformed a penalty that he himself had caused to offer a result more in line with the nature of the match (73rd).