Recap: Le Havre defeat Montpellier in relegation battle

A win was what both Le Havre and Montpellier needed to begin climbing out of the relegation zone in Ligue 1. In a tightly contested matchup, it was Le Club Doyen that secured a 1-0 win on Sunday at the Stade Océane.

Both sides started the matchday in the direct relegation zone, so it was important for each squad to secure all three points. In the first half, it was the visitors that had the most total shots with seven while the home side countered with five, but the contest would head into halftime scoreless.

In the final 45 minutes, Montpellier would again have the edge in total shots with eight while Le Havre had seven, but Didier Digard and his team would break the scoreless deadlock midway through the second half.

Le Havre took a 1-0 advantage thanks to a penalty kick conversion from Abdoulaye Touré following a VAR review. Les Ciel et Marine would hold onto this lead to secure the victory and all three points.

While the victory doesn't get them out of the direct relegation spot, Le Havre now trail 15th-place side Angers SCO by one point to be in the safety zone. The home side will look to continue this impressive run next weekend when they face Stade de Reims.

As for Montpellier, they'll have to start turning this around as soon as possible when they host Stade Brestois at Stade de la Mosson next weekend. A home win would be ideal to begin having positive momentum heading into this month's FIFA international break.

The Stat: Montpellier's defensive struggles

Montpellier have conceded 30 goals through 10 matchdays, so it's been a challenging start defensively to the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season. After the loss to Le Havre, Montpellier are at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table with four points and trail Saint-Étienne, who are in the playoff relegation spot, by six points.

If La Paillade want to get out of their current situation their defense must improve as it's still early in the Ligue 1 season, so Montpellier still have plenty of time to climb out of the direct relegation zone.

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