Angers beat Auxerre 3-1 in Ligue 1 at Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps, pulling clear after a 1-1 first half with two goals after the interval. Auxerre had more of the ball and more shots, yet Angers took their chances.

Match Summary

The visitors needed only five minutes to lead. B. van den Boomen scored the opener and Auxerre spent the next half hour trying to work a way back into the contest. They did so through R. Labeau Lascary, with R. Faivre assisting, and it was 1-1. Just before the interval D. Namaso thought he had given the hosts the lead, but that effort was ruled out. The teams reached half-time still locked together.

After the restart Auxerre continued to see more of the ball, but the next goal went the other way. H. Djibirin put Angers back in front, A. El Ouazzani with the assist, and the lead held. El Ouazzani then scored himself after O. Camara found him, making it 3-1 to the visitors and leaving Auxerre a long way short. The home side kept looking for a second goal that never arrived.

Key Moments

What did not count proved as important as what did. D. Namaso's ruled-out effort would have sent Auxerre in ahead. Instead Angers restarted from level terms and never fell behind again.

The second-half swing decided the points. Once the visitors regained the lead, Auxerre had to chase a game they had mostly controlled. That extra space invited the third goal, which ended any real hope of a comeback.

B. van den Boomen's early strike also set the tone. Auxerre's territorial edge never came with a lead of their own, so they were recovering for most of the afternoon rather than managing a result.

Match Statistics

Possession sat with Auxerre at 61 percent to 39, and they outshot Angers 19 to 15, with seven efforts on target against six. Expected goals still favored Angers, 1.64 to 1.29, a closer fit to the 3-1 scoreline than the shot totals. The visitors also took 10 corners to Auxerre's seven. There were no red cards. Auxerre collected three yellow cards and Angers two.

See also

• Auxerre vs Angers live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps