Report: Saints claim entertaining win over Bordeaux

The scores were level at the interval after Alpha Diallo instantly cancelled out an own goal from Clément Michelin that had briefly given Saints a 19th-minute lead.

A fine solo effort from Sam Amo-Ameyaw restored the advantage five minutes into the second half before Tyler Dibling, whose cross forced the own goal, set up Sékou Mara to score against his former club.

Russell Martin changed all of his outfield players in the 62nd minute, giving his side a more experienced look for the final third of the contest, but it was Bordeaux who hit back with the fifth goal of the game, reducing the deficit late on with a crisp low drive from Joss Marques da Silva to complete the scoring.

Goalkeeper Mateusz Lis played the second half of Friday night’s 7-1 win at Eastleigh, and was in from the start for this early kick-off in Spain, with the game getting under way at 11am local time.

The Polish stopper, who spent last season on loan at Göztepe in Turkey, was called into action inside four minutes with an impressive tip over to deny Michelin’s header from a dangerous in-swinging free-kick.

The Saints starting line-up to face Bordeaux in Girona

Saints responded with a headed chance of their own, as Ryan Manning crossed from the inside-left channel and Dibling rose well, connecting sweetly in the air but heading into the arms of the keeper.

Dibling, who looked sharp at Eastleigh, was involved again when he combined with fellow teenager Jay Robinson down the left and saw his low cross diverted into his own net by the unfortunate defender Michelin.

But Bordeaux would be behind for only a minute. Manning’s square pass was picked off on the edge of the Saints box and the ball was teed up for Diallo to slam home a clinical finish to level the scores.

The French side finished 12th in Ligue 2 last season but were demoted to the third tier due to financial issues. They looked a confident outfit, and pieced together a fluid passing move that forced another decent save from Lis, who had been the busier of the two keepers.

For Saints, Charly Alcaraz had the ball in the net with a neat finish only to be flagged offside, while Mara worked the keeper at the end of a sweeping move that drew loud applause from Russell Martin on the sideline.

Tyler Dibling eludes a challenge in midfield

Alcaraz had already tried his luck from distance before he whipped a free-kick inches wide of the post. From the resulting goal kick, Bordeaux broke through the middle and Lis rushed out only to be beaten to it by Logan Delaurier-Chaubet, who should have rolled the ball into the empty net from 30 yards but could not find a way past covering defender Manning, who got his angles right to protect his goal.

There was more intensity about an unchanged Saints side after the interval, starting with Dibling’s driving run infield to set up Robinson. When the winger’s shot was saved, Alcaraz headed the rebound goalwards only to be thwarted by a last-gasp clearance off the line.

Instead it was Amo-Ameyaw who restored the lead with the latest demonstration of his enormous talent. Receiving the ball in a central position, he drove forward, jinked inside on to his left foot and curled a beautifully-placed shot inside the far post from 20 yards.

Martin was quick to praise Amo-Ameyaw and Dibling after the Eastleigh win, and the pair were on song again here, quickly combining in the box before Dibling set up Mara to sweep home Saints’ third goal six minutes later.

Sékou Mara celebrates finding the net against his former club

Cue a flurry of changes from Bordeaux, who should really have pulled a goal back when Lis was caught on the ball in his own box and watched on as a shot cannoned against the inside of his left-hand post and flashed across the goal line but somehow stayed out.

The Saints changes arrived on 62 minutes, with Lis the sole survivor as a more experienced side took to the field for the remaining half an hour.

There were some decent openings for Martin’s new-look line-up but no clear chances, and it was Bordeaux who found the net when Marques da Silva drilled home from 15 yards after Lis punched clear a cross.

Kamaldeen Sulemana and Will Smallbone might have added a fourth, but the Frenchmen twice hit the post in stoppage time and can consider themselves unfortunate not to have claimed a share of the spoils in an entertaining pre-season affair.

Saints: Lis; Bree (Sugawara 62), Harwood-Bellis (c) (Boot 62), Wood (Taylor 62), Manning (O’Brien-Whitmarsh 62); Dibling (Smallbone 62), Charles (Downes 62), Alcaraz (Aribo 62); Amo-Ameyaw (Kamaldeen 62), Mara (Armstrong 62), Robinson (Edozie 62).

Saints goals: Michelin o.g. (19’), Amo-Ameyaw (50’), Mara (56’).

Bordeaux goals: Diallo (20’), Marques da Silva (82’).

Yellow card: Downes.