Ligue 2: Saint-Étienne and Metz start strong, Nantes falters

Saint-Étienne, aiming for promotion after last year's failure, launched their Ligue 2 campaign with a resounding 3-0 away win against promoted side Sochaux. The team secured their victory within a six-minute span in the first half, with forward Irvin Cardona scoring twice on his 29th birthday. Danish recruit Jakob Breum also impressed, netting the opening goal and providing an assist, much to the delight of Saint-Étienne supporters who were denied promotion by Nice in the previous season's playoff.

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The Verts have made the difference in six minutes, scoring three goals between the 22nd and 28th minute, including a brace from striker Irvin Cardona, who gave himself a nice gift on his 29th birthday.

In contrast, FC Nantes delivered a lackluster performance, falling 1-0 to Red Star at a stadium closed to fans due to prior incidents. The absence of supporters seemed to affect Michel Der Zakarian's team, as they struggled to generate momentum. Red Star's Kévin Cabral scored the decisive goal, securing a deserved win for the previous season's fourth-place finishers.

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The Danish recruit Jakob Breum, very prominent during the summer preparation, had an ideal evening, scoring the first goal of the match and providing an assist.

The opening day also saw Annecy secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Pau, with Axel Drouhin scoring the league's first goal in the 11th minute. However, Annecy's midfielder Clément Billemaz received the championship's first red card shortly after, forcing the team to defend their lead with ten men for nearly 80 minutes.

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The Nantes fans, however, could not go to their La Beaujoire stadium, which was closed for disciplinary reasons due to incidents last year.

Meanwhile, FC Metz, relegated from Ligue 1 last season, began their quest for an immediate return with a 2-1 comeback win against Guingamp. Pape Moussa Fall and Giorgi Abuachvili scored consecutive goals in the second half to secure the victory for Metz.

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They seemed to be missed by Michel Der Zakarian's men, as the former Ligue 1 residents delivered a dull performance, penalized by Audonian striker Kévin Cabral, who offered a deserved victory (1-0) to last season's 4th place team.