Thanks to its clear victory in Saint-Etienne (0-3, J32), ESTAC is officially promoted to the first division! An accession well-deserved given Troyes’ domination throughout the championship!
At their runner-up, and in a fiery atmosphere with nearly 40,000 Stéphanois and over 600 Troyes supporters, Stéphane Dumont’s players left the ball to the Stéphanois in the first half.
Upon their return from the dressing rooms, Merwan Ifnaoui crucified Geoffroy-Guichard with a left-footed shot that nestled into the bottom corner of Larsonneur’s net (0-1, 53′). The hosts tried to push without worrying Hillel Konaté too much, always on his guard. Until the Troyes’ serial goal-scorer Tawfik Bentayeb, similar to his goal against Montpellier, sealed the deal for the Troyes who were flying straight to the elite of French football (0-2, 89′). Finally, the local talent Mathys Detourbet cooled down the atmosphere by scoring the third Troyes goal, symbolizing their return to Ligue 1 (0-3, 90′).
Thanks to this convincing victory in Stéphanoise territory, ESTAC is guaranteed to join Ligue 1 McDonald’s next season! The culmination of a historic and well-controlled season from start to finish by the teammates of captain Monfray, who will aim to end this 2025-2026 season on a high note, starting with the reception of Laval on Saturday, May 2nd at the Stade de l’Aube (J33).
