Pau FC holds the power to decide in the relegation race

France's 3-2 victory at Rodez Stadium in the penultimate round helped Pau FC - where Nguyen Quang Hai is playing - decide their place in Ligue 2.

Pau had less possession of the ball in the match early this morning, May 27, Hanoi time, but opened the score thanks to Yanis Begraoui's penalty in the 11th minute. Eight minutes later, Remy Boissier equalized for Rodez.

However, Mayron George and Begraoui continued to score in the 26th and 41st minutes to help Pau end the first half with a score of 3-1. The efforts in the remaining time were only enough for Rodez to reduce the gap to one goal thanks to Wilitty Younoussa in the 74th minute.

Winning 3-2 on aggregate, Pau moved up to 15th place with 44 points. Following them are Rodez and Laval with one point less.

Pau FC players and fans hug each other to celebrate after defeating Rodez 3-2 in round 37 of Ligue 2. Photo: Pau FC — Pau FC players and fans hug each other to celebrate after defeating Rodez 3-2 in round 37 of Ligue 2. Photo: *Pau FC*

In Ligue 2 for the 2022-23 season, the bottom four teams, from 17th to 20th, will be relegated. By the final round, Niort were bottom with 28 points and Nimes - with 33 points - were already certain to be relegated.

The relegation group currently has six teams, ranked from 13th to 18th respectively: Valenciennes and FC Annecy - 45 points, Pau - 44 points, Rodez and Laval - 43 points, Dijon - 42 points. With this situation, coach Didier Tholot's team is in control of the relegation race.

In the final round on June 3, Pau will play at home against fifth-tier Caen. The team suffered a loss when captain Antoine Batisse was suspended after receiving a straight red card in the win over Rodez.

Pau will be assured of staying in the league if they beat Caen. In case of a draw, Pau will have to hope that two of the three teams - Rodez, Laval and Dijon - do not win in the same match. If they lose, Pau will have to wait for two of the three teams mentioned above to receive the same result.

As for midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai, the last match he played for the Pau FC first team was a 0-1 loss to Laval on February 18. After that, he played seven matches for the Pau B team in the French 5th division. Quang Hai played a total of 13 matches for the first team since the beginning of the season with 268 minutes, scoring one goal.

Hieu Luong

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