Saint-Etienne and Nice: Goalless Draw Delays Decisive Outcome in Survival Playoff

Saint-Étienne forced a goalless draw against their guest Nice in the first leg of the promotion and relegation playoff between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, during the match held at the "Geoffroy-Guichard" stadium, leaving the decision postponed until the return leg at "Allianz Riviera."

The match saw a relative advantage for the home team during several periods, especially in the second half, as Saint-Étienne players pressed hard with significant fan support, but they lacked the final touch in front of the goal. On the other hand, Nice appeared physically affected after recently losing the French Cup final and faced clear difficulties in moving the ball out and creating dangerous opportunities.

The Green team almost snatched victory on several occasions, particularly through the Georgian Zuriko Davitashvili and striker Lucas Stassin, while Nice tried to rely on the movements of Sofiane Diop and Mohamed Ali-Cho without any real offensive effectiveness, resulting in the match ending goalless after 97 minutes of tension and physical clashes.

The return match is scheduled to take place next Friday at Nice's stadium, in a decisive encounter to determine which team will play in the French Ligue 1 next season, after everything remained open following the goalless draw in the first leg.