Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium witnessed a footballing void last night as Saint-Étienne and Nice played out the most anemic encounter in recent French professional football history. The first leg of their Ligue 1/Ligue 2 playoff ended 0-0 with neither side mustering a single shot on target throughout 103 minutes of play. The match produced a combined expected goals (xG) total of just 0.41 – 0.11 for Saint-Étienne and 0.30 for Nice – marking the lowest xG in a full professional league or playoff match since the 2022-2023 season.

This season’s other low-scoring encounters paled in comparison, with Grenoble-Bastia’s 0-0 draw in September (0.55 xG) and Toulouse-Strasbourg’s 1-0 victory in December (0.56 xG) still showing more attacking intent. The previous record holder for dullest match was Metz-Brest on December 12, 2023, which produced 0.54 xG in a 0-1 defeat.

Saint-Étienne’s attacking impotence reached historic lows, failing to register a single shot on target in the opposition half – a feat matched only twice in the club’s last 20 seasons. Their last comparable offensive drought came in April 2017 against Paris Saint-Germain (0-5) and December 2024 against Marseille (0-2), both at home.

While the lack of attacking quality was stark, the defensive solidity was undeniable. Saint-Étienne’s 15 clean sheets this season trail only Paris Saint-Germain’s 18, making their defensive record the second-best across both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.