Metz beat Rodez 4-1 at Stade Saint-Symphorien in the fifth round of Ligue 2 on Saturday. Pape Moussa Fall scored three goals to carry the side, while Corentin Issanchou Roubiou and Jessy Deminguet added the others. The hosts moved up to fourth in the table with nine points from five games, a point clear of their visitors.
And here's the thing about this one — Metz went for the jugular early. Fall opened the scoring in the eighth minute, then Roubiou doubled the lead just before half-time. Deminguet added a third on 39 minutes, and Fall completed his hat-trick five minutes into the second period. By then, Rodez had nothing left to give.
The visitors tried to respond. They created more attacks, 87 to 80, and completed more crosses, 30 to 22. But they were second to everything in the penalty area. Metz registered eight shots on target against six, and converted five big chances to Rodez's two. To be fair, Rodez had more possession in spells, but possession without penetration is just passing around the back.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Metz completed 405 passes with 58 per cent of the ball, while Rodez managed 273 successful passes at 42 per cent. The hosts made 14 key passes compared to 18 for the visitors, but key passes without end product don't score goals. Metz blocked five shots and made 30 clearances, while Rodez blocked three and cleared 18.
The result keeps Metz in the mix for promotion contention. They have not won since their opening day victory but are unbeaten in five. Rodez drop further down, sitting eighth with seven points after two defeats in their last three matches. The margin between fourth and eighth is now two points, and both sides know what it takes to close the gap.