Ligue 2: Le Mans can have regrets, ASSE loses again, Troyes is champion.

On Saturday evening, the 33rd day of Ligue 2 was expected to provide us with many insights. For this penultimate match of the season, several teams could not afford to make mistakes. After a dry defeat by Troyes at home last week (0-3), AS Saint-Etienne had to win against Rodez. Facing a crisis of confidence after two consecutive losses, the Greens had a tough task against Rodez, who were eyeing a spot in the playoffs. The start of the match was very lively, with both teams trading blows. Ultimately, Rodez scored the first goal of the night with a beautiful curling shot from Ibrahima Baldé (1-0, 17th minute). Despite a few attempts from Saint-Etienne (19th, 30th), Rodez almost doubled their lead before halftime, but Baldé hit the post on his shot (43rd). In the second half, Rodez’s striker adjusted his aim to score their second goal with composure (2-0, 54th). Disappointed, Saint-Etienne tried to get back into the game but in vain. Late in the match, Irvin Cardona gave Saint-Etienne a glimmer of hope (2-1, 89th), but despite a final push, Rodez held on. Saint-Etienne’s ranking suffered a major setback and they fell behind Le Mans. At home, Le Mans had the opportunity to secure their promotion to Ligue 1 with a win against Reims. However, Reims took the lead with Gbane’s opening goal (0-1, 20th minute). Resilient, Le Mans equalized in the first half with a header from Yohou (1-1, 36th). In the second half, Le Mans’ attack was very wasteful, exemplified by Erwan Colas missing a huge opportunity (75th), and Rossignol’s chance in stoppage time (90+6th).

Ewen Jaouen (62nd, 80th) also troubled Le Mans, who will have to wait until the final day to secure their place in the top flight. Reims will need to win on the final day and hope for Rodez to slip up to reach the playoffs. On Troyes’ side, everything is going well. After clinching promotion last week against Saint-Etienne, ESTAC could win the Ligue 2 title on Saturday. In a match they dominated, Stéphane Dumont’s men put on a show. Mille and Diawara scored in the first half, while Adeline and Diawara added to the tally in the second half. A comfortable 4-0 victory crowned Troyes as champions of France. Red Star will compete in the playoffs. Facing the bottom side Amiens, Red Star were tested but managed to secure a 3-1 victory in the second half, solidifying their fourth place and catching up to Saint-Etienne. In the relegation battle, Clermont confirmed their stay in the division with a win over Montpellier, who bid farewell to their playoff hopes after going down to ten men and missing a penalty. The same fate awaited Nancy, who snatched a win against Pau to secure their survival. Laval’s heavy defeat allowed Bastia to defeat Guingamp with Beliandjou’s early second-half goal (0-1, 51st). With these three points, Bastia stays in contention and closes in on Laval. Elsewhere, Grenoble secured a late victory against Dunkerque, while Annecy triumphed over Dunkerque.

Multiplex results of the 33rd day of Ligue 2: – Montpellier 1-2 Clermont: Mendy (22nd) / Salmier (25th), Hunou (45+2nd) – Troyes 4-0 Laval: Mille (4th), Diawara (22nd, 59th), Adeline (49th) – Pau 1-3 Nancy: Bobichon (26th) / Mendy (50th), Fernandez (63rd), Saint-Ruf (90th) – Guingamp 0-1 Bastia: Beliandjou (51st) – Amiens 1-3 Red Star: Ntamack (50th) / Ikanga (11th), Ba (82nd), Benali (90+3rd) – Dunkerque 0-1 Grenoble: Diaby (89th) – Boulogne 1-2 Annecy: El Farisi (87th) / Larose (45+1st), Rambaud (53rd) – Le Mans 1-1 Reims: Yohou (36th) / Gbane (20th) – Rodez 2-1 Saint-Etienne: Baldé (17th, 54th) / Cardona (89th)

Published on May 2, 2026, at 21:59 – Updated on May 3, 2026, at 00:16.