Davitashvili hits hat trick for Saint-Etienne

PARIS (AP) — Georgia international Zuriko Davitashvili scored a hat trick to lead struggling Saint-Etienne to its second win in the French league, 3-1 against Auxerre on Saturday.

Lille also followed up its historic Champions League win against Real Madrid with another victory.

Davitashvili joined from Bordeaux this summer as Saint-Etienne prepared to return to the top-flight following a two-year absence. The highly rated winger delivered two assists but failed to score in his first six matches.

Saint-Etienne moved to 12th place, one point above Auxerre in the Ligue 1 standings.

A former powerhouse of French soccer, 10-time champion Saint-Etienne has struggled to readjust to the requirements of the elite and was trounced 8-0 by Nice last month. The club has bounced back to be unbeaten in its past two matches.

Davitashvili put the host ahead in the 15th minute with a powerful strike that capped a fine collective move with Léo Pétrot and Mathis Amougou. He made it 2-0 after the interval and hit the post before Canadian forward Thelonius Blair pulled one back with his first goal this season to set up a suspenseful finale.

Davitashvili kept his cool on the counter when he chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to achieve the hat trick and put the game to bed with four minutes left.

He was a member of the Georgia team which reached the European Championship last 16 this summer and produced a 2-0 upset win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. His deal with Saint-Etienne runs until 2028, with an optional extra year.