Nice register first win of the season against 10-man Auxerre

nice make lightning start

In their opener, a 1-0 defeat to Toulouse, Nice looked devoid of ideas going forward, but quickly began this game very much on the front foot. Their intensity was very quickly rewarded, with Jérémie Boga volleying home Tom Louchet's pinpoint cross. The latter, a Nice academy product, deputised well for Jonathan Clauss, who, as revealed by Franck Haise, is looking to leave the club.

Auxerre's reaction, however, was admirable, as it was throughout. Yehvann Diouf, busy in the Nice goal, particularly in the first half, denied Josué Casimir and then Kévin Danois with an important double save. Lassine Sinayoko then tested the Senegal international once again, and whilst the Nice goalkeeper was equal to his half-volley, he couldn't do anything about the Mali international's effort just moments later.

Ibrahim Osman beat Louchet and cut it back for Sinayoko, who timed his run into the box perfectly to slot home first time. But Auxerre didn't stay level for long, just three minutes in fact. Kevin Carlos was involved, forcing Clément Akpa to intervene inside his own box, but instead of clearing the danger, he diverted it past his own goalkeeper, Donovan Leon.

Leon with a game-changing intervention

L'AJA kept causing problems. Diouf was called into action again, saving from Osman and then Casimir... again. This time, the goalkeeper could only palm onto the inside of his post, causing a goal-line scramble that Nice ulitmately cleared.

The game-changing moment then came on the stroke of half-time. Hicham Boudaoui put the ball in behind, and the trajectory was altered by an Akpa deflection. It gave Isak Jansson the edge in the foot race between him and Leon. He got there just before the Auxerre goalkeeper, touched the ball past and then took the contact. Leon was sent off, and the advantage was very much handed to Nice.

But Auxerre, looking to build on last weekend's win on the opening day of Ligue 1 McDonald's, continued to pose questions of the Nice defence. Specifically, it was Sinayoko who did the probing, testing Diouf with a long-range effort and then striking just inches wide.

To make the game safe, Nice needed another goal, and they got it. Just three minutes after coming on for Carlos, who in Haise's words made an "interesting" debut, Terem Moffi headed home a Louchet chipped cross. It was a goal that settled Nice's nerves and the game.

First goal of the season for Moffi! 🇳🇬🦅 pic.twitter.com/nQUamFohGV
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 23, 2025

Auxerre struggled to react, and whilst Danois forced another strong save from Diouf, it was Nice, who notably hit the bar through Moffi, who looked the more dangerous. 3-1 it finished.

"I know that we are a team under construction, and there are lots of things to perfect, but there was a lot of energy [tonight] and lots of positive things," analysed Haise post-match. Nice next face Le Havre in Ligue 1 McDonald's; Auxerre will next face Nantes.

The stat

It was a night of avoiding unwanted records for Nice. Le Gym have not begun a Ligue 1 McDonald's season with two defeats since 2017/18. That run did not come to an end. Nice have also never started a season by not scoring in their first four games. By failing to score against Benfica across two legs and then not netting against Toulouse last week, that record was in danger of being set. Three goals against Auxerre avoided that.