Ligue 1 Roundup, Matchday 1
The first matchday of the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season has just finished, featuring exciting games and impressive performances. Below is the Ligue 1 roundup from this round of games.
Rennes 1-0 Marseille
Rennes shocked Marseille by scoring a last-minute winner to secure a win with only 10 players in the opening match of the Ligue 1 season, halting the visitors’ streak of five consecutive wins in season openers. This was an impressive achievement for the home side, especially since they were down to 10 men against one of Paris Saint-Germain’s main title contenders. Meanwhile, Roberto De Zerbi is likely to be very disappointed with his team’s performance.
Lens 0-1 Lyon
Lyon showed great determination to begin the Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 victory at Lens, breaking a 10-year streak without an away win against them. The visitors held strong against Lens’ late pressure to secure all three points and maintain a clean sheet at Stade Bollaert-Delelis for the second consecutive season. Meanwhile, Les Sang et Or remain troubled on the opening day, having not won 12 of their last 15 Ligue 1 season openers (4 draws, 8 losses).
Monaco 3-1 Le Havre
Monaco comfortably defeated Le Havre AC 3-1 at Stade Louis II, extending their unbeaten home streak in Ligue 1 to nine matches. After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Le Havre will aim to recover in their next game, while Monaco appears poised to compete for a top-three finish for the third year in a row.
OGC Nice 0-1 Toulouse
Toulouse began their Ligue 1 season with a tight 1-0 victory on the road against OGC Nice, secured by Djibril Sidibé’s goal in the 89th minute. This win marked Les Violets’ first head-to-head triumph in six matches. For Toulouse, remaining unbeaten in their fifth straight Ligue 1 opening game signals a strong start as they look to improve on their 10th-place finish, their best since the 2013/14 season.
Brest 3-3 Lille
Kamory Doumbia scored his first Ligue 1 brace since December 2023, helping Brest recover from a two-goal deficit in an exciting 3-3 draw against Lille. This result means Lille have not won an away head-to-head match since March 2013 (with 2 draws and 3 losses). Lille remain unbeaten in their last nine opening day games (5 wins, 4 draws). At the same time, Brest have set a new record by extending their unbeaten home head-to-head streak to six games (3 wins, 3 draws).
Metz 0-1 Strasbourg
Strasbourg scored a late goal to secure a 1-0 victory over newly-promoted Metz at the Stade Saint-Symphorien, putting an end to Strasbourg’s disappointing run at the end of last season, during which they failed to win their final two Ligue 1 matches. This result should provide some relief for Strasbourg as they aim for another season competing for a top-seven spot in their pursuit of European qualification. On the other hand, Metz’s season got off to a tough start with a late loss, despite their strong effort throughout the game.
Auxerre 1-0 Lorient
Lorient lost 1-0 to Auxerre on the first day of the season, breaking their streak of four unbeaten opening matches in the French top division. Although the loss was disappointing for Lorient, they displayed encouraging signs in their Ligue 1 return and will to those signs in their quest to stay in the top division.
Angers 1-0 Paris FC
Esteban Lepaul’s first-half goal secured a victory for Angers, who played with 10 men, marking only their third home win to start a top-flight French season since 2000, as they defeated newly-promoted Paris FC at the Stade Raymond Kopa. Although Paris’ comeback to the top division ended in disappointment, Stéphane Gilli’s team showed enough attacking strength to indicate they are unlikely to be easy relegation candidates.
Nantes 0-1 PSG
PSG kicked off their pursuit of a club-record fifth straight Ligue 1 title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nantes, who have now gone winless in their last nine season openers (4 draws, 5 losses). Although this was not a standout performance from Enrique’s team, it was understandable considering the demands of a very packed schedule. Their quality still stood out against a determined Nantes side.
