IDEYE DOUBLE SECURES EUROPE FOR SOCHAUX

Nigeria international Brown Ideye pounced twice (4', 72') to hand Sochaux the 2-1 win over direct rivals Saint-Etienne that guarantees them of sixth place and a ticket for next season's Europa League.

Les Verts could have climbed to within a point of Sochaux and set up a tense end to the season with a win, but Francis Gillot's charges proved too motivated - and too skilful - as Nigeria forward Brown Ideye scored on either side of Saint-Etienne's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's equaliser to secure the crucial victory.

As a result, Sochaux are celebrating their first European berth in three years - their first as a result of league placement since season 2004-05 - and can play their last game of the season away to Arles-Avignon secure in the knowledge that seventh-placed Lorient cannot bridge the five-point gap between them.

After sitting as low as 15th this campaign, Sochaux's remarkable late-season form - just one loss in their last nine outings - has seen them climb from 11th place to stitch up sixth at the expense of Lorient, Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne, who had been vying for the final European spot for some time.

Sochaux's confidence showed through from the very beginning of the match as they took an early lead when Ligue 1 assists leader Marvin Martin capped a trademark counter-attack with a superb low cross through the Sainté defence, leaving Ideye the simplest of tap-ins to make the break (4').

However, Saint-Etienne weren't about to make it easy for les Lionceaux to snaffle up the European place and duly responded three minutes later when Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pounced after Teddy Richert could only parry Alejandro Alonso's rasping shot (7').

Although Sochaux dominated and went close when Martin's free kick found no-one but almost snuck in past a beaten Jessy Moulin (35'), but Saint-Etienne brought their own powerful counter-attacking skills to the party and could have taken the lead had Richert not pulled out a top-drawer double save to deny Aubameyang and then Bakary Sako (24').

Sochaux wrapped things up half-way through the second term, the excellent Martin finding Ryad Boudebouz on the right. The Algerian international concocted a superb cross that Ideye angled with such unexpected power and precision that Moulin was left rooted to the spot as the winner - club top scorer Ideye's 15th of the season - flew into the back of the net (72').

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