Two games of soccer took place last Saturday, in two different countries and two different tiers of the European pyramid. They had one man in common: Liam Rosenior.

The first match was being held in the north-east of England and could have a huge bearing on the future of the hosts of the game, Hull City. The Tigers were taking on Derby City in a true relegation six-pointer at the bottom of the EFL Championship. Unfortunately for the home fans, their team failed at the worst possible time, losing 1-0 to the Rams. It was a defeat that left Hull City in the relegation zone with just one game left.

Strasbourg kicked off their Ligue 1 game just one hour after Hull City's and had a very different outcome, after a dynamic 3-1 victory over St. Etienne. This win moved the French side just two points away from the top three, the zone for qualification for next season's Champions League.

So, what has all this got to do with a 40-year-old Englishman called Liam Rosenior? Well, just a year ago, the former player had been sacked from his role as Hull City coach, after the team finished in seventh, narrowly missing out on the Championship's playoff places.

Hull City's owner, Acun Ilicali, revealed that the reason for the firing was that "our visions for the future are not aligned." Apparently that vision for this season included a relegation battle and the possibility of playing Lincoln City next year, rather than Leicester City.

Those in the know in the soccer world were well aware of the ridiculousness of the sacking, and Rosenior was not unemployed for long. Admittedly, it was a contentious move at the time, as the English coach was picked to take over at Strasbourg, a mid-table outfit in the French league whose glories were very much in the past.

A large section of the support were enraged by the appointment of an unknown figure with limited coaching experience, and it threw more fuel onto the fire of a testy relationship with Strasbourg's owners, BlueCo, the holding company that also owns Chelsea. Strasbourg had just completed a fairly indifferent season, finishing in 13th place after being very much in the mix for relegation.

Indeed, Rosenior's start with Strasbourg was a rough one, with the club only winning four Ligue 1 games before the winter break. The English coach blamed the late coming together of a very young squad for the reason for the slow beginning, but the pressure was on. However, Strasbourg's form has been flying off late with just one loss from 18 league games to give the team a solid chance of European soccer next season.

Despite the links with Chelsea, the 'big sister' has not been handing over too many hand-me-downs to Strasbourg, although the experience of goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been useful. Strasbourg has also benefited from the loan spell of one of the seemingly hundreds of young players that Chelsea have acquired in recent years, with Andrey Santos scoring nine goals from midfield in Ligue 1. For the most part, this Strasbourg side is built on youth and energy, with an average starting age of 21.4 years according to Transfermarkt.

One year after one of the lowest points of Rosenior's coaching career, the Englishman now faces one of his highest. His contract with Strasbourg was just renewed until 2028, ahead of a huge game against PSG on Saturday. It's the start of three matches remaining in the Ligue 1 season that could make history for his adopted home.

Ironically, that home clash against a PSG side very much focussed on a Champions League clash, kicks off just 90 minutes after the team that rejected him could be relegated, as the Hull City owner looks to pursue his own vision of the future without the coach who now has a destiny of his own.

Strasbourg vs. PSG - Live on beIN SPORTS: Saturday at 10:50AM ET