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Saint-Etienne Coach Elie Baup was more than satisfied after seeing his players hold Lyon to a goalless draw at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Sunday.
The result kept Les Verts in ninth, while their local rivals went 12 points clear at the top, but Baup was encouraged to have stopped them from scoring for the first time this season.
"It was a high quality game," he said afterwards. "Lyon edged the first half but we were able to dominate the second.
"We ended the match with three players under 21 and we started it with six who came up through the ranks at the club, so that's encouraging for the future.
"There's a huge gap between Saint-Etienne and Lyon but at this level it's all about tactics. If we didn't have a good tactical approach, it's hard to see how we would get results."
His counterpart Gérard Houllier was also content to make do with a point, and agreed that it had been a very tactical affair.
"Both teams are content, which is pretty rare in football," he commented. "That's the first time we've failed to score in 26 official matches this season, but Saint-Etienne reacted well after the break.
"The players made it a very physical, committed game yet it was never violent. Tactics were all-important and one slight mistake would have been costly.
"What pleased me the most was our organisation and patience. We were very strong tactically."
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