PARIS — In the latest round of matches in the French league, Saint-Etienne and Nantes remain entrenched near the bottom as they played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Both clubs, once dominant forces in French soccer with a rich history—Saint-Etienne boasting 10 league titles and Nantes with eight—are now struggling to find their footing. They have each accumulated only 17 points over 18 matches this season, placing them in jeopardy of relegation.
Currently, Saint-Etienne holds the 16th position in the 18-team league standings, situated in the relegation playoff zone, just behind Nantes, which has a slightly superior goal difference.
Nantes had high hopes of claiming three vital points during their match at Stade Geoffroy Guichard following Moses Simon’s opening goal in the 14th minute. However, the hosts thwarted their plans with a late equalizer from Augustine Boakye in the 86th minute, who delivered a stunning long-range shot.
In other matches, Marseille, in second place, faced Strasbourg with aspirations of closing the gap with league leaders PSG and widening their advantage over rivals for the Champions League spots. PSG had previously secured a 2-1 victory against Lens on Saturday, setting the stage for their pivotal encounter with Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
In a different matchup, Auxerre started well against Angers, but things quickly went downhill. Sinaly Diomandé inadvertently scored an own goal in the 18th minute while trying to clear a corner, giving Angers an early lead.
The situation worsened for Auxerre when Gabriel Osho received a red card just four minutes later for a foul on Estéban Lepaul, leaving the team with just ten players for over an hour. Given the rocky start, a comeback was unlikely, and Angers sealed a 2-0 victory after Lepaul found the net early in the second half.
This outcome means Angers now stands level on points with Auxerre, with both teams trailing a significant 24 points behind PSG. Additionally, Reims and Le Havre played to a 1-1 stalemate in their match.
