Tunisia's Khazri makes Ligue 1 scoring return for Saint-Etienne after Afcon disappointment

Wahbi Khazri sealed Saint-Etienne's dramatic 3-1 triumph over Montpellier in a Ligue 1 fixture on Saturday.

The 30-year-old recently returned to France after participating at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations where Tunisia were knocked out by Burkina Faso in the quarter-final stage.

The former Sunderland star played in all but one of his country's games in Cameroon with a contribution of two goals and an assist, even though he battled Covid.

On Saturday, Khazri immediately returned to the Greens' starting XI and his presence helped them overturn a goal deficit with three strikes in the last 10 minutes.

Elye Wahi put Montpellier in front in the 11th minute and the effort separated both teams at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard until the 82nd minute.

With eight minutes left on the clock, Romain Hamouma drew the hosts level after an assist from Adil Aouchiche and Arnaud Nordin scored their second goal on the stroke of full-time.

In the 93rd minute of added time, Khazri benefitted from Nordin's pass to grab his eighth Ligue 1 goal of the season, surpassing his tally of seven goals in the 2020-21 campaign.

The victory boosted Saint-Etienne's push to move out of the relegation zone as they currently occupy the 19th spot with 18 points after 23 matches - a point away from safety.

Khazri, meanwhile, will shift his focus to the Greens' next Ligue 1 outing when they face 15th-placed Clermont on February 13.