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| Brest climb top of the table |
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Newly-promoted Brest surged to the top of the Ligue 1 table after they scored twice in the final 15 minutes to down fellow high-flyers St Etienne.
After a goalless first period, which saw ASSE midfielder Albin Ebondo hit the post, the visitors looked more likely to get a winner only to pay for their inability to score.
Mario Licka opened the scoring with a powerful header after 76 minutes before Romain Poyet sealed the points seven minutes from the end.
It extended Brest's unbeaten league run to eight games and took them two points clear at the top, less than six months after their promotion.
Brest were hard to handle in the opening moments of the match but were denied an opener after two good saves from ASSE goalkeeper Jeremie Janot.
Nolan Roux found space down the right flank and crossed into the area for Poyet, whose instant shot drew a fine diving save from Janot down to his right.
With 20 minutes played Benoit Lesoimier tried his luck from long range and had Janot scrambling to keep the match goalless.
It was the visitors who came closest in the opening period, however, when Ebondo latched onto a cross from France forward Dimitri Payet and fired against the left-hand post.
That was a sign of the away side's dominance after the re-start as they tried without luck to find an opening goal.
Payet fizzed a long-range strike just wide of the right-hand post with 54 minutes played before Ruben Bergessio was also narrowly off-target from a similar distance.
It was Brest who broke the deadlock though 14 minutes from the end. Roux lost the ball in the area but substitute Bruno Grougi quickly picked it up and fed a lobbed pass for Licka to head home.
The home side then grabbed their second with seven minutes left when Lesoimier crossed from the left for Poyet, who took a touch before blasting in his shot just under the crossbar.
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