Irvin Cardona was once again at the heart of St Etienne’s success as the Maltese international provided two assists in a convincing 3-1 victory over Montpellier, helping his side maintain their perfect start to the league campaign.

Cardona, who started the match in attack, produced an excellent display and played a decisive role in two of St Etienne’s three goals.

The Maltese forward opened his account of assists in the 41st minute, delivering a pinpoint cross which found Bernauer, who finished with an excellent overhead kick to put St Etienne 1-0 ahead.

Montpellier, however, managed to restore parity five minutes into first-half stoppage time, ensuring the two sides went into the break level.

St Etienne came out strongly after the interval and sealed the lead in the 71st minute, with Cardona once again the provider. The Maltese international delivered another quality assist, this time setting up Duffus, who made no mistake to put the hosts 3-1 ahead.

The result means St Etienne remain top of the table with a maximum 15 points from their opening five matches, while Cardona continues to establish himself as a key figure in their impressive start to the season.

With two assists to his name, the Maltese international once again proved his importance to St Etienne as they maintained their perfect record.