Nancy fell to Montpellier 0:1 in the second round of Ligue 2 at Stade Marcel Picot on Thursday evening. The visitors took all three points despite hosting a side that had already shown they could score freely in the opening weeks.
By then, you'd expect more movement. Montpellier struck in the 72nd minute through Y. Issoufou, and the score held. The hosts had created one big chance earlier and fired five shots on target, but the keeper kept them out until the break in form.
And here's the thing about the closing stages — the discipline slipped entirely. Four yellows came in the space of two minutes at 90+2', with Laciné Megnan-Pave, Yael Mouanga, Y. Mouanga and Enzo Tacafred all sent to the bench. The match found its rhythm only when both sides ran out of patience.
To be fair, the numbers tell a different story than the result. Nancy held 53 per cent possession and registered 107 attacks compared with 82 for their opponents. Yet they managed only one shot on target inside the area and finished with five shots on target overall. Montpellier were more direct, completing 283 passes to 298, but their accuracy sat at 0.31 compared with 0.33 for the hosts.
The result shifts the middle of the table slightly. Montpellier moved up to fifth place on eight points from five games, while Nancy remained seventh with seven points. Both sides had won twice and lost once before this matchday, so the gap between them now sits at a single point.
Things came to a head late on, and when they did, the visitors had the composure to see it through. Nancy will look at the statistics and wonder where the chances went; Montpellier will take the point and move on.