Saint-Etienne have reached the Europa League group stage after beating Milsami 1-0 in the second leg of their playoff tie.

After the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Moldova a week ago, it was Saint-Etienne who took charge of the match early on and they were almost ahead when Benjamin Corgnet fired over after linking up with Nolan Roux.

The aggregate lead belonged to the hosts in just the 15th minute when poor marking allowed Corgnet to head home from Valentin Eysseric's corner.

Milsami almost stunned the home fans with an equaliser before the interval, but Stephane Ruffier was on hand to keep out a powerful effort from Artur Patras.

The visitors created another opportunity to get back on level terms after the break when Christian Bud's strike drifted just over the crossbar after Loic Perrin had gifted him possession.

However, Saint-Etienne continued to dominate in the second half and threatened to extend their lead when Radu Mitu pushed away a dipping effort from Eysseric.

Milsami were unable to relieve the pressure late on as the hosts finished the tie comfortably to avoid a potential upset at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard.