Saint-Étienne responded to an 8-0 drubbing against OGC Nice two weeks ago with a 2-2 draw against FC Nantes. Dall’Oglio’s side showed character against Les Canaris, coming from two goals down to secure the point. It came a week after Dall’Oglio was defended by members of the club’s hierarchy, as reported by Get French Football News. The manager was not the target of the management’s fury, with the emphasis on collective responsibility in a lengthy dressing-down post-match.

However, Foot Mercato now understands that the hierarchy are at least considering a change of manager and Saint-Étienne have sounded out the managerial market with a view to potentially replacing Dall’Oglio. The match between ASSE and Auxerre on Saturday, potentially a decisive fixture in the fight to avoid relegation, could prove pivotal. A defeat could see a managerial vacancy open at Saint-Étienne.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

This is the first time in the history of this competition that three newly promoted Ligue 1 sides find themselves in the relegation zone in the 18-team era.

Between those three sides, they have a combined two wins domestically in 2024-25, with a total of nine goals scored between the three, which is eight fewer than the highest-scoring unit in this competition have alone, Paris Saint-German.

It is the first time in nearly a decade that all three newly-promoted sides are in this position.

The last time this happened was during the 2014-15 Ligue 1 campaign when SM Caen, RC Lens and FC Metz were in the bottom three places by matchday 23.

On that occasion, Caen were the only side of those three to remain in the French top flight beyond that season.

Angers, Saint-Étienne and Auxerre have conceded a combined 36 goals in the league this season, just one fewer than what the top eight teams in the table have given up between them so far.

While things are not looking good for the newly promoted sides right now, history suggests the poor start by all three is not necessarily a death sentence.

Never in the 21st century have we seen every promotional side get relegated in their first season back in the French top flight.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre

Olivier Dall’Oglio’s men conceded six goals in the first half against Le Gym, becoming the first team to do so in a Ligue 1 match in the 21st century. By the time the whilst blew for half-time, the Saint-Étienne fans who had made the trip down to the Côte d’Azur were nowhere to be seen; they had already left the Allianz Riviera. 

With the result sealed, Nice took their foot off the pedal in the second half, scoring two more, and registering an emphatic 8-0 win; quite the way to celebrate what was already a historic night. “This 120-year anniversary will be engraved in the club’s memory, and in my memory too. That score, you almost never see that,” reacted Les Aiglons’ manager Franck Haise post-match. 

Saint-Étiennes’s Kilmer Sports Ventures owners address the dressing room

The former RC Lens manager emerged for his post-match media duties before his counterpart Dall’Oglio, against procedure in France, where the away manager always presents himself first. Get French Football News understands that there were very frank conversations in the dressing room post-match, with the manager, Huss Fahmy, the Executive Vice President of Kilmer Sports Ventures, ASSE’s new owners, and Loïc Perrin, the sports co-ordinator all addressing the squad. 

With the ownership present for the occasion, the message was clear – it was one of shame. Get French Football News understands that there was an emphasis on making sure that the feeling of shame was deeply felt in order to avoid a reoccurrence in the future. 

In defence of the under-fire manager, Perrin told the dressing room that they were lucky to have a coach like Dall’Oglio, who measured his words in the post-match debrief, as he did when he did eventually carry out his post-match duties. “The feeling is one of shame. We are not proud at all in terms of what we produced. When you forget the basics against a good team, you’re punished,” began Dall’Oglio. 

Straight back to work for ASSE

Dall’Oglio said he “understood” the fans’ reaction and apologised before continuing. “I can’t explain [the performance]. They (the players) can’t either. We knew our season would be difficult. We said it from the start but we are capable of showing what we showed last week (when ASSE beat Lille OSC 1-0). I am angry, although I won’t show it today. I will first seek explanations.” 

The inquest, which began immediately after the final whistle, among the hierarchy in the dressing room, is likely to be ongoing throughout the week. A training session was already scheduled to take place on Saturday, but Get French Football News understands that it will now be more intense than originally planned. The inquest will have to bring results if Saint-Étienne have hopes of turning around their fortunes and ensuring their safety in Ligue 1, as is their objective. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Nice

Luke Entwistle reporting from Nice

OGC Nice recorded an emphatic 8-0 victory against AS Saint-Étienne, making history by becoming the first team to net six goals in the first half of a Ligue 1 match in the 21st century as they celebrated their 120th anniversary in style.

The Match 

Nice wasted no time. It took them just four minutes to open the scoring with Buduka Batubinsika turning Jonathan Clauss’ dangerous cross into his own net. Tanguy Ndombélé quickly doubled their advantage as Nice raced into a two-goal lead within the space of seven minutes. 

The barrage was relentless but Les Aiglons had to wait a further 17 minutes before their third, which came courtesy of Mohamed-Ali Cho. A sumputous curled effort, his was the pick of the lot. Two minutes later, Youssoufa Moukoko got Nice’s fourth and his first for his new club. 

Evann Guessand then got in on the act before Moukoko doubled his tally on the night. By half-time, Olivier Dall’Oglio, in desperation, had already made three changes, their fans, vocal even at 4-0, had deserted the stands. They did not re-emerge for the second half.

The second half was played at a leisurely pace with Le Gym happy to keep the ball and let the time tick away. However, they still managed to add to their lead with Sofiane Diop, still re-building his fitness after a lengthy absence, tapping in at the back-post before Pablo Rosario netted his first for the club from the spot following a handball inside the box.

For the first time since 1957, Nice net eight in a top-flight match and ensure that their 120-year anniversary was celebrated in style at the Allianz Riviera.

Nice player ratings

Marcin Bulka – 6

Dante – 7

Moïse Bombito – 7

Youssouf Ndayishimiye – 6

Melvin Bard – 6

Tanguy Ndombélé – 9

Ndombélé has shown glimpses of his best this season without putting together a full 90-minute performance. He had no issue doing so here, running the show from the first minute until the last. It was an eye-catching display, one reminiscent of his days at Lyon, and it was rewarded with a goal. 

Pablo Rosario – 7

Jonathan Clauss – 8

Throughout the first-half, all of the danger came down Nice’s right, through the smart interchanges between Cho and Clauss. The conditions were ideal for Clauss to thrive, and without being preoccupied by carrying out defensive duties, thrive he did. He earned himself two assists on the night and proved a serial chance creator.

Mohamed-Ali Cho – 8

Evann Guessand – 8

After his goal and assist in the first half and with the result already secured, Guessand was subbed off for Badredine Bouanani (6) at the break. 

Youssoufa Moukoko – 8

After that miss against Marseille, the German international, was in need of confidence, and he will take plenty from this game. He was in the right place at the right time to get the first and stayed composed to net the second. Granted, it is easy to do so when your team is already five goals in front. With an assist to his name too, it was a statistically fruitful night for Moukoko. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Pre-match, there was already a festive atmosphere with Le Gym celebrating their 120th anniversary. It was a festival on the pitch too. 

It took Nice just four minutes to open the scoring with Buduka Batubinsika turning Jonathan Clauss’ dangerous cross into his own net. Tanguy Ndombélé quickly doubled their advantage as Nice raced into a two-goal lead within the space of seven minutes. 

The barrage was relentless but Les Aiglons had to wait a further 17 minutes before their third, which came courtesy of Mohamed-Ali Cho. A sumputous curled effort, his was the pick of the lot. Two minutes later, Youssoufa Moukoko got Nice’s fourth and his first for his new club. 

Evann Guessand then got in on the act before Moukoko doubled his tally on the night. By half-time, ASSE had already made three changes and their fans had already deserted the stands. On what was already a historic night for Nice, celebrating their anniversary, they made some unexpected history too. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Nice

There is a long list of absentees for Les Verts. Yvann Macon’s absence is one of the biggest blows, but ASSE also find themselves without Anthony Briancon, Cheikh Fall, Thomas Monconduit, and Ibrahima Wadji due to injury. That long list of injuries somewhat limits Dall’Oglio’s options. 

Lucas Stassin is expected to be given the nod, ahead of Ibrahima Sissoko, whilst New Zealand winger Ben Old may also have to settle for a place on the bench. Pierre Ekwah, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer to reinforce Saint-Étienne’s midfield, is expected to start.

Saint-Étienne likely lineup v OGC Nice

Gautier Larsonneur; Pierre Cornud, Yunis Abdelhamid, Dylan Batubinsika, Dennis Appiah; Mathis Amougou, Pierre Ekwah, Aimen Moueffek; Mathieu Cafaro, Lucas Stassin, Zuriko Davitashvili. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Bombito returns following his one-game suspension, which came after his red card in the 4-1 victory over SCO Angers. It is expected that he will slot straight back into the defence, alongside Dante and Youssouf Ndayishimiye. 

However, Franck Haise still has plenty of injuries to contend with. Hicham Boudaoui is out until the international break, Morgan Sanson is yet to return, Gaetan Laborde is still out for several weeks, and Terem Moffi is out for much of the season with an ACL injury. Jérémie Boga, who had only just returned, is out once again with a tibia injury. He could also miss several matches after suffering the blow in training on Wednesday. 

Nice likely lineup v Saint-Étienne

Marcin Bulka; Dante, Moise Bombito, Youssouf Ndayishimiye; Melvin Bard, Tanguy Ndombele, Pablo Rosario, Jonathan Clauss; Youssoufa Moukoko, Evann Guessand, Mohamed-Ali Cho. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Lille were far too wasteful and their usual reliable stars struggled to impact the match. Edon Zhegrova, Tiago Santos, and even the substitute Jonathan David had forgettable games that left a lot to be desired. And by the end of the 90 minutes, there was a sense that the team were tired and frustrated with each other. 

This frustration was reflected in the post-match words of club president Olivier Létang, “I’m going to try to weigh my words, we played a shameful match. It’s shameful!” The president repeated, “It’s shameful! We can’t be a great team by losing three matches in a row. We’re not going to get those points back. Who can tell me that the players wanted to win tonight? Can someone tell me? I don’t condone their attitude.” 

Létang continued his point, “If we’re going to play in the Champions League, it’s because we’ve played well in Ligue 1. That’s our daily bread. Do you think we’re going to perform well with attitudes like that? I’ll tell you right away, it’s not possible… If these unacceptable behaviours [are shown again], we won’t win many matches in Ligue 1. And in the Champions League, we’re going to take some beatings.”

Lille begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a visit to Lisbon where they will face Sporting CP and it’s clear that Létang will be hoping for a response from his side. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

AS Saint-Étienne collected their first points of the season as they recorded a 1-0 victory over a frustrated and tired-looking Lille OSC at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. 

Saint-Étienne were the last team left to score in Ligue 1 as game week four rolled into action. However, their wait was soon to be over, as Mathieu Cafaro opened the scoring in the sixth minute. It was an incisive bit of attacking play as the hosts capitalised on a poor pass from Lucas Chevalier. 

Dennis Appiah intercepted the ball heading it down to Zuriko Davitashvili. The Georgian winger was under immediate pressure from Alexsandro but he flicked the ball over the defender’s head before passing across the goal. Cafaro collected the ball and was able to set himself before firing his shot towards the right-hand corner – a fortunate deflection of Benjamin André helping to guide it on its way. 

Lille stepped up the pressure. And there was no shortage of chances for the visitors as they controlled almost 70% possession. Appiah’s last-ditch intervention prevented Rémy Cabella from equalising before Gautier Larsonneur saved André’s header from the resulting corner. It felt like Lille were etching closer to the goal, but it was far from a one-sided game. Lille had to rely on Chevalier a couple more times to keep Cafaro from doubling the lead. 

Saint-Étienne clung fiercely to their lead as the first half came to an end. Lille looked lethargic coming into the second act. Saint-Étienne pushed higher up the pitch looking to keep their visitors from coming close to the goal. By the 57th minute, Bruno Génésio had seen enough and made three big changes to his Lille side. 

Jonathan David, Osame Sahraoui, and Angel Gomes came on for Ayyoub Bouaddi, Cabella, and Mohamed Bayo. However, little changed for Lille, Chevalier kept his side in the game making an important one-on-one save against Lucas Stassin. And the goal seemed impossible to find. Even David had no luck. The striker coming close when he broke past the defensive line but sliced his shot high and wide. 

In the 83rd minute, Lille would record one last excellent chance as substitute Mitchel Bakker rushed into the box but fired the ball straight at Larsonneur to the dismay of David. There was still time for Davitashvili to threaten Chevalier’s goal but the Georgian winger saw his shot trickle wide.

Lille Player Ratings

Lucas Chevalier, 6 – Vital for Lille. The goalkeeper could do little to stop Saint-Étienne’s early opener but he prevented the hosts from capitalising on some worrying defensive lapses that could have made a frustrating evening far more painful. 

Alexsandro, 4

Bafodé Diakité, 4

Thomas Meunier, 5

Gabriel Gudmundsson, 5

Ayyoub Bouaddi, 5

Benjamin André, 5

Tiago Santos, 5 – The wing-back was taken off early for Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Santos started brightly but by the time his evening came to an end, his output had faded significantly. 

Rémy Cabella, 4

Mohamed Bayo, 4 

Edon Zhegrova, 5 – A strange week for the Kosovian international where he was sent home early from his national side. The winger failed to leave his usual impression on the game. There were the usual flashes of inspiration but they became more and more isolated, as Zhegrova struck an isolated figure.   

Saint-Étienne selected player ratings

Dennis Appiah, 6

Zuriko Davitashvili, 7 – He might not have recorded his name on the score sheet but he was by far the most exciting player on the pitch. The ex-Bordeaux man looks an astute signing and the player who could provide Saint-Étienne with their attacking thrust in their first season back in the top flight. 

Mathieu Cafaro, 6

GFFN | Nick Hartland

With pressure reportedly ramping up on manager Olivier Dall’Oglio already, he must now do without one of his key players. As reported by L’Équipe, Yvann Macon is set to undergo surgery an a meniscus injury and therefore looks set to miss around two months of action. He is therefore guaranteed to miss Friday evening’s match against Lille OSC. 

Thomas Monconduit is also set to undergo an operation, The midfielder has an injured tendon in the upper part of his thigh and could be absent for between three and four months. 

Saint-Étienne likely lineup v Lille

Gautier Larsonneur; Pierre Cornud, Yunis Abdelhamid, Dylan Batubinsika, Dennis Appiah; Mathis Amougou, Pierre Ekwah, Aimen Moueffek; Mathieu Cafaro, Lucas Stassin, Zuriko Davitashvili. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle