Le Havre AC and AS Saint-Étienne faced off on March 9, 2025, at the Stade Océane, with the match ending in a dramatic 1-1 draw. The result left Le Havre with mixed emotions, as it marked the end of their seven-game losing streak. With this draw, Le Havre managed to maintain their place just one point above their opponents, who are entrenched in the relegation battle.
The match got off to a disappointing start for the home team, Le Havre, when Lucan Stassin of AS Saint-Étienne scored just ten minutes after kick-off, putting the visitors 1-0 up. This early goal put Le Havre under pressure, as they struggled to find their rhythm. Adding to their woes, Irvin Cardona's goal was disallowed following a VAR review due to offside, preventing what could have been another nail-biting moment for Le Havre's fans.
Le Havre, buoyed by over 22,000 supporters, slowly built up their offensive play and started to threaten the Saint-Étienne defense. A key moment came when Abdoulaye Touré headed the ball toward goal, only to see it rebound off the right post. Yet, the pressure paid dividends just before halftime when Le Havre was awarded a penalty after Benjamin Bouchouari of Saint-Étienne committed a handball. Touré stepped up to take the penalty, which was initially saved, but he quickly reacted to tap the rebound home, leveling the match at 1-1.
Despite their equalizer, Le Havre's second half performance was lackluster. While they had some moments of attack, they were unable to seriously challenge the Saint-Étienne goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur again. The match ended without any real clear-cut opportunities after the break, leaving both teams to settle for the draw.
The draw was particularly important for Le Havre, who had endured recent challenges and desperately needed points. Following the match, they now have 21 points, putting them 16th in the Ligue 1 standings, just above Saint-Étienne, who sit at 17th place with 20 points.
For Le Havre, coach Didier Digard utilized a 4-3-3 formation with Mathieu Gorgelin taking the goalkeeper position. The defense was anchored by Fodé Ballo-Touré, Gautier Lloris, Loïc Nego, and Étienne Youté. The midfield featured Mahamadou Diawara, Abdoulaye Touré, and Yassine Kechta, advancing the attack which included Josue Casimir, Ahmed Hassan, and Issa Soumaré. Meanwhile, Saint-Étienne, led by coach Eirik Horneland, adopted a 5-3-2 setup, featuring Gautier Larsonneur as goalie, backed by defenders Maxime Bernauer, Mickaël Nadé, Léo Pétrot, Pierre Ekwah, and Yvann Maçon.
Moving forward, Le Havre looks to build on this draw as they prepare to face Olympique Lyon on March 16. Saint-Étienne, meanwhile, will be competing against Montpellier at Stade de la Mosson, both teams with the urgent need to gather more points to steer clear of relegation.
The referee for the match was Mr. Clément Turpin, who issued yellow cards to several players throughout the game: Gautier Lloris and Yanis Zouaoui from Le Havre, and Irvin Cardona and Aïmen Moueffek from Saint-Étienne.
Final score: Le Havre AC 1, AS Saint-Étienne 1.