Ligue 1 Final
Saint Etienne 0 - 0 FT Nice
Match Statistics
Possession
Shots
Passes
Pass Accuracy
Corners
Fouls
Yellow Cards
Red Cards
Saint Etienne
Match Events
↓ H. Boudaoui ↑C. Vanhoutte 11'
HT
↓ T. Gouveia ↑A. Abdi 46'
60' ↓ D. Appiah ↑J. Ferreira
63' A. Kante
↓ M. Cho ↑Kevin 63'
↓ S. Diop ↑I. Jansson 63'
67' ↓ I. Cardona ↑J. Duffus
79' ↓ L. Gadegbeku ↑F. Tardieu
↓ J. Clauss ↑D. Coulibaly 90'
90'+1 ↓ Z. Davitashvili ↑A. Moueffek
FT
Player Cards
Our take on every player in this match
Saint Etienne
Goalkeepers
Gautier Larsonneur 
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
90
Minutes
Defenders
Kevin Pedro 
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Julien Le Cardinal 
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
2
Tackles
83%
Duel Win %
Maxime Bernauer 
STORMTROOPER
1
Shots
1
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
Dennis Appiah
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
60
Total Mins
60
Entry
Midfielders
Abdoulaye Kanté
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Luan Gadegbeku
LATE SHIFT
11
Late Mins
11
Late Mins
79
Total Mins
79
Entry
Irvin Cardona
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
67
Total Mins
67
Entry
Augustine Boakye 
PROVOCATEUR
3
Fouls Won
3
Fouls Won
6
Duels Won
0
Pens Won
Zuriko Davitashvili 
NPC
89
Minutes
89
Minutes
16%
Pass Acc
6.5
Rating
Forwards
Lucas Stassin
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
BENCH
Brice Maubleu
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
João Ferreira
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
30
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Ebenezer Annan
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Mickael Nade
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Florian Tardieu
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
11
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Igor Miladinović
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Aimen Moueffek
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
1
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Joshua Duffus
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
23
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Mylan Toty
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Nice
Goalkeepers
Yehvann Diouf
PROVOCATEUR
1
Fouls Won
1
Fouls Won
1
Duels Won
0
Pens Won
Defenders
Antoine Mendy
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
4
Tackles
78%
Duel Win %
Abdulay Juma Bah
STORMTROOPER
1
Shots
1
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
Kojo Peprah Oppong
STORMTROOPER
1
Shots
1
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
Melvin Bard
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Midfielders
Morgan Sanson
PROVOCATEUR
3
Fouls Won
3
Fouls Won
5
Duels Won
0
Pens Won
Hicham Boudaoui
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
11
Total Mins
11
Entry
Jonathan Clauss
NPC
89
Minutes
89
Minutes
16%
Pass Acc
6.5
Rating
Sofiane Diop
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
63
Total Mins
63
Entry
Tiago Gouveia
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
45
Total Mins
46
Entry
Forwards
Mohamed Ali Cho
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
63
Total Mins
63
Entry
BENCH
Bartosz Żelazowski
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Ali Abdi
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
3
Tackles
50%
Duel Win %
Charles Vanhoutte
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
79
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Youssouf Ndayishimiye
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Djibril Coulibaly
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
8
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Salis Abdul Samed
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Isak Jansson
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
27
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Kevin Carlos Omoruyi
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
27
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Kaïl Boudache
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Match previews and recaps to help you decide which games are worth watching
Fear Paralyzes First Leg at Geoffroy Guichard
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 23/100. A paralyzed opening leg where the sheer terror of losing completely smothered any desire to win, leaving this tie painfully unresolved.
Cagey Opening Exchange
Our verdict on the opening phases is simple: this was a tactical straightjacket. At the Stade Geoffroy Guichard, the massive Stakes of this first-leg final immediately weighed down both sets of players. Rather than throwing caution to the wind, Saint Etienne and Nice opted to sit deep and avoid critical errors. Nice controlled possession with 55 percent of the ball, but their passing was largely risk-free, slowly circulating through their defensive lines. Veteran defender Dante calmly anchored the visitors, ensuring the home side never found a rhythm. The total absence of shots on target in the entire match began right here, with both midfields locked in a gritty, uninspiring battle for loose balls rather than creating genuine attacking sequences.
The Set-Piece Illusion
As the match dragged past the hour mark, the only real threat emerged from dead-ball situations. A sequence of 12 total corners provided a false sense of pressure, but the high Intensity required to attack those crosses was completely missing. Saint Etienne target man Ibrahim Sissoko cut an isolated figure up front, starved of any meaningful service as his midfield failed to bridge the gap. Nice launched 22 crosses into the box, yet the home side's defensive block easily neutralized every single delivery. This was a phase defined by physical duels and safety-first clearances, as the constant fear of conceding a fatal goal on the counter-attack kept both teams rigidly locked into their conservative shapes.
All Eyes on the Riviera
The final whistle brought merciful relief to a contest that offered absolutely zero cutting edge. With neither goalkeeper forced to make a single save, the Balance of power remains completely unmoved ahead of the decisive return fixture. This 0-0 stalemate means the entire tie boils down to the second leg on May 29, when Nice will host Saint Etienne with everything still on the line. For the neutral, it was a punishing watch, but for the managers, the clean sheet keeps their ultimate objective alive. The tactics will have to shift dramatically in the reverse fixture, because another 90 minutes of this paralyzing caution will only drag this final toward the lottery of a shootout.
Key Questions
What does this mean for Saint Etienne's season?
It leaves their fate entirely resting on the second leg. They must find their attacking rhythm away from home on May 29 to salvage their campaign.
What is the Futmetrix Score?
The Futmetrix Score is our 0-100 verdict on how entertaining a match is. We look at intensity, balance, stakes, and star quality to tell you if it's worth your time.
Survival on the Line: First Leg Drama at the Cauldron
Worth Watching Futmetrix Score: 69/100. Driven by an off-the-charts Stakes rating, this two-legged playoff dictates who plays top-flight football next season.
The Setup
Saint Etienne welcome top-tier strugglers Nice to Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on May 26, 2026, for the vital first leg of this definitive playoff tie. The Balance rating sits at a perfect maximum, reflecting a razor-thin margin between ambitious challengers and a desperate visiting side fighting for survival. Nice enter the clash in terrible shape, carrying a dismal Form rating born from a five-match winless streak in the league. While the Stars rating might be somewhat modest due to a lack of global marquee names, the sheer, unadulterated tension of a two-legged survival scenario more than makes up for it. The return leg awaits on May 29 at Nice, meaning neither side can afford a fatal mistake tonight in front of a hostile crowd.
Key Battle
Experience meets pure defensive resistance. Nice will rely heavily on veteran defender Dante to organize a leaky backline under immense pressure, needing every ounce of his leadership. He must find a way to anchor his side against Saint Etienne's defensive rock, Gautier Larsonneur. If the hosts' goalkeeper can frustrate the visitors early, the psychological edge shifts entirely.
Our Prediction
We expect a remarkably nervy, tactical affair. Saint Etienne will look to exploit their passionate home crowd and grab an early advantage. However, Nice are likely to play conservatively, aiming simply to keep the tie alive for the second leg rather than risking it all. A tight 1-1 draw seems the most logical outcome.