Best Ligue 2 team since January, Metz (3rd) proved it again by coming back to within a point of Bordeaux (2nd), reduced to 10 and beaten 3-0 at the Saint-Symphorien stadium on Saturday, during the shock of the 31st day .
The Girondins, dolphins of Le Havre, could put the Messins to seven points. But reduced to ten shortly before the break, they were scuttled in Lorraine. Carried again by Georges Mikautadze, author of a double, the Garnets did not miss the opportunity to get closer to a length of their direct competitor.
After a fairly dull first half hour, the match changed with the exclusion of Girondins goalkeeper Gaëtan Poussin, guilty of a charge against Mikautadze outside his area (39th). Following this action, the Georgian was awarded a free kick, but his well-wound shot was deflected with a header by Fransergio (43rd).
Still just as valuable for the Messins, the top scorer in L2 then chained a series of dribbles to serve Cheikh Sabaly whose recovery narrowly missed the Bordeaux cage, now defended by Rafal Straczek (45th).
After the break, the Polish goalkeeper saved his people by making a double parry (48th), but he could not do anything against the curling shot from the left of Ablie Jallow (1-0, 49th).
Three minutes later, Mikautadze further improved his stats by scoring his 16th and 17th goals of the season. From a low strike (2-0, 52nd), then another cross, after a slalom in the area (3-0, 72nd).
The suspense remains more than ever in the race for the rise in Ligue 1 since Sochaux (4th), which receives the badly classified Pau in the evening, can also return to a point of the Girondins. With a five-point lead over Bordeaux, Le Havre could also take advantage of their trip to penultimate Nîmes to increase their lead.