A match to forget

Context

AS Saint-Étienne played their first LFFP Cup group stage match in Nice on Saturday, September 13, at 3 p.m. In a group composed solely of Second Division teams (Nice, Grenoble, Thonon), Les Vertes have more than one card to play, but the competition got off to the worst possible start.

Starting XI

In goal, Alice Pinguet, who started last week against Nantes, is replaced by Emma Templier, who, despite making a few saves, will have a difficult game. Amandine Pierre-Louis starts on the right side. The central defense consists of Alaia Pelletier and Aleksandra Gajić. Kedie Johnson lines up on the left side to complete the defensive line.

In a 4-1-4-1 formation, Deborah Bien-Aimé will play defensive midfield, accompanied by Sarah Cambot and Rachel Corboz further up the field. Welma Fon is lined up on the right side, and Sofie Hornemann will start on the left side, although she will alternate several times with Nikolina Istocki, who starts this match at the head of the attack. On the bench, Pinguet, Kristoffersen, Romanelli, Bataillard, and Faure complete the squad.

Game scenario

The first action of the match (9th minute) was also the biggest chance for Les Vertes. From a corner kick on the left side of Nice's goal, Rachel Corboz found Kedie Johnson alone in front of goal. Unfortunately, the full-back missed her shot, which ended up over the opponent's goal. Then, Nice thought they had opened the scoring in the 10th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside. They finally broke the deadlock immediately afterwards through their number 10, who was found with a deep pass and took her time to beat Emma Templier. (Nice 1-0 ASSE, 14th minute). The rest of the first half was evenly balanced, with very little action on either side. (1-0 at halftime).

In the second half, Les Vertes seemed to come back with better intentions, playing more offensively. They created a great chance in the 57th minute, which was saved by the Nice goalkeeper, who didn't have much to do in this match. Les Vertes were also more aggressive, perhaps too much so. On an offensive free kick taken in Nice's box, Kedie Johnson was tangled up with an opposing defender, the opposing player fell, the referee blew his whistle, and at the same time, Sofie Hornemman was charged with both fists by the opposing goalkeeper. After this mess, the referee sent off Kedie Johnson in the 58th minute. With 10 against 11, Sébastien Joseph has no choice but to make changes. In the 70th minute, Ina Kristoffersen, Marion Romanelli, Victoria Faure, and Faustine Bataillard replace Alaia Pelletier, Amandine Pierre-Louis, Welma Fon, and Deborah Bien-Aimé, respectively. 

In the end, Nice crushed Les Vertes' hopes by scoring three goals in 20 minutes (72nd, 83rd, and 90th minutes). Apart from a shot by Sarah Cambot in the 75th minute, which was saved by the goalkeeper, Sébastien Joseph's team failed to pose any threat and ultimately lost by a heavy score of 4-0. 

Coming next

Les Vertes face Lyon in the second round of the Arkema Première Ligue. The match will take place on Saturday, September 20, at 3:30 p.m. at the Salif-Keita stadium, just before the Ligue 2 BKT match between AS Saint-Étienne and Reims.

As a reminder, your season ticket gives you free access to the women's team's home games. For everyone else, tickets are already available. More information