Provençal Aix claimed a narrow 34:32 victory over Celestat Alsace in the opening round of the Starligue on Saturday. The hosts secured their first points of the campaign at home, with the result leaving them top of the table on two points.
Both sides began the season with zero games played and zero points, so this match set the tone for the opening weekend. Aix moved ahead of Celestat, who remain on nil following the defeat.
The visitors arrived with mixed recent form, having drawn with Дюнкерк and beaten Дижон and Сессон-Ренн, but also lost to Безансон and ПСЖ. Provençal Aix showed more inconsistency in their last five outings, suffering defeats to По Бийер and Кельце before picking up wins against Дижон, Истр and Феникс Тулуза.
Aix paid for a sloppy opening by going behind early, but found a way back into it and kept knocking on the door until the final whistle. The narrow margin suggests Celestat felt they had enough to take something from the trip, but the hosts saw the game out under pressure.
The result means Provençal Aix hold a two-point advantage at the summit, while Celestat Alsace will need to regroup quickly. The gap is small, but in a league where every point counts, the early statement matters.