Saint-Étienne crushes Sion 5-1 in friendly, opposing coach speaks out

AS Saint-Étienne crushed FC Sion 5-1 in a friendly match played Friday at the Aimé Jacquet stadium in L’Étrat, a week before Ligue 2 resumes against Rodez. The heavy defeat triggered a sharp reaction from Sion coach Didier Tholot.

“We were terrible! It’s one of the worst matches we’ve played since the start of the season. This has to teach us a lesson, it has to alert us,” the French coach told En Vert et Contre Tous. The former Pau manager detailed his team’s collapse: after taking the lead and a decent opening ten minutes, Sion completely fell apart once Saint-Étienne equalized.

“From the moment we conceded the equalizer, there was nothing from our side,” he regretted, before refusing to use the quality of the opposition as an excuse. “The opponent doesn’t interest me. What interests me is that we conceded five, and in football that’s not acceptable. It’s a good lesson, we’ll have to react in the league.”

Tholot, who himself wore the green shirt between 1991 and 1993, knows the Saint-Étienne house well. But it’s as an opposing coach that he leaves L’Étrat with a stern warning for his own players, just days before the Swiss Super League resumes.

For Saint-Étienne, this clear victory is ideal preparation before hosting Rodez for Ligue 2’s return after three weeks of international break.