Auxerre opened their Ligue Magnus campaign with a 5:2 victory over Gap at home on Thursday evening. The hosts took control early and never looked back, despite the visitors showing flashes of promise. By then you could see the gap in confidence between two sides heading into the season.
The result means Auxerre sit level on points with the rest of the league after their opening defeat to Grenoble, while Gap remain unbeaten with their win away at Chamonix. The standings barely matter this early — one game tells you nothing about a season. And here's the thing: Auxerre have been inconsistent all summer, losing four of five pre-season matches.
We backed the home side at 76 per cent confidence, and the performance confirmed that instinct. Auxerre found their rhythm quickly, pressing high and forcing errors from a Gap side still searching for cohesion. To be fair, the visitors didn't help themselves with defensive lapses.
Gap's recent record shows they can score — four goals against Sergi-Pontoise in April — but also concede freely. Their narrow win over Chamonix suggested improvement, yet Auxerre exposed the same vulnerabilities from last season. Three periods of twenty minutes and the home side made their superiority clear.
The final score leaves Auxerre on a positive note after that heavy Grenoble result. Gap head into their next fixture knowing they need to tighten up. The league is wide open this year — nobody knows anything yet.
