The start of the 2022 Ligue 2 season has been given. A week before the start of the Ligue 1 clubs, the second division teams found their way back to the field on Saturday July 30. Relegated, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux and Metz had mixed fortunes, with a very poor start for the Greens, a draw for the Girondins, and a convincing success for the Grenats. Victorious against Pau (4-0), Guingamp takes the lead in the championship.
With a catastrophic defense, Saint-Etienne starts badly
ASSE certainly suspected it, it has had confirmation: the path to a rise in Ligue 1 will be difficult. Beaten without possible discussion by a Dijon team much more physically developed (2-1), Saturday July 30, the Stéphanois remain glued to the last place in the classification since they left with a handicap of three points, after the overflows which had followed the elimination of the club in the play-off against Auxerre.
Physically dominated by the formation of Omar Daf, ASSE knows that it will have to whip. And above all find a certain form of serenity because, like the two goals she conceded, she does not release any security. Twice, Le Bihan and Soumaré took advantage of big scrambles in the Saint-Etienne area to score. And, without a few parries from Etienne Green or incomprehensible failures from the Dijon strikers, the score could have been much heavier. The cross volley from young Aiki (17), in the 69th minute, was certainly a superb reduction in the score but it could not in any way be the tree that hides the green forest.
Like the expulsion of Denis Bouanga in the dying seconds for insulting the referee, the Greens missed their reunion with a lower division that they had not visited since 2004.
Bordeaux held in check by Valenciennes
All eyes were on the Matmut Atlantique when the multiplex kicked off at 7 p.m. While the club was kept in extremis in Ligue 2 on a decision by the French Football Federation during the week, the Girondins de Bordeaux faced Valenciennes for the first day of the championship. For the occasion, the Ultramarines had unfurled a banner “We were close to death, it made us stronger”, which was not necessarily verified in the field. With a largely overhauled and rejuvenated team, Bordeaux was held in check by the Northerners, despite its domination (0-0).
Next decisive match for the Girondins: a new passage in front of the DNCG, next week, which could lead to restrictions on the transfer window.
Guingamp first leader
Sixth, at the gate of the Ligue 1 accession play-offs, last season, Guingamp was determined to start the 2022-2023 vintage in the best possible way. At the Roudourou stadium, against Pau, the EAG unfolded (4-0), with goals from Jérémy Livolant, Mehdi Merghem, and a double from Jules Gaudin, for his first tenure in Ligue 2. The Bretons took the lead of the championship thanks to their goal difference, ahead of Metz. The Grenats, relegated from Ligue 1, also started the season in an ideal way, with a clear victory, 3-0, against Amiens, at home. Lamine Gueye, Georges Mikautadze and Ibrahima Niane are the Metz scorers.
The joy in the Rouge et Noir locker room after the first victory in @Ligue2BKT from 22-23 #EAGPAUFC #TeamEAG #WarRaok pic.twitter.com/dSvASSSyMN
— Forward Guingamp (@EAGuingamp) July 30, 2022
Opposite starts for the promoted
For their return to the second division, Laval and Annecy had two very different evenings. In Bastia, the Mayenne won 2-0 thanks to a double from Zakaria Naïdji, their new center forward from Pau. The addition could have been higher if Johny Placide had not stopped a penalty shot by Julien Maggiotti, in a tense match marked by two red cards, one for each team, at the end of the game.
On the contrary, Annecy missed its entry against Niort, at the Parc des Sports. The Chamois Niortais won 1-2 thanks to goals from Yanis Merdji and Bilal Boutobba, from the penalty spot. The Savoyards reacted well, with a goal from Arnold Temanfo, but that was not enough to reverse the trend.
All the results of the 1st day:
Dijon 2-1 Saint-Etienne
Bordeaux 0-0 Valenciennes
Annecy 1-2 Niort
SC Bastia 0-2 Laval
Le Havre 0-0 Grenoble
Guingamp 4-0 Paul
Quevilly-Rouen 0-0 Rodez
Metz 3-0 Amiens
Nimes 0-1 Caen
Sochaux-Paris FC: Monday August 1, at 8:45 p.m.