Troyes left a packed Stade de l’Aube with the same old ache: plenty of belief, moments that might have shifted the night, and another 2-0 defeat to Marseille. Stéphane Dumont’s side pressed until the final seconds but were punished for missed chances and defensive errors.
The result, from Ligue 1’s sixth round, sent ESTAC into the relegation places for the first time this season. They are 17th on four points, still without a home victory and carrying a fourth loss of the campaign.
Quick facts
- Troyes lost 2-0 at home to Marseille in round six.
- The defeat was ESTAC’s fourth this season; each of their past three losses has ended 2-0.
- They dropped to 17th place, with four points.
- Adrien Monfray hit the crossbar in the fifth minute.
- Renaud Ripart struck the post in stoppage time while Troyes trailed 1-0.
- Former Troyes and Marseille striker Mamadou Niang performed the ceremonial kick-off.
Dumont felt his team had not been opened up often, yet Marseille still found two goals. “Once again, we concede two from very little,” he said after the match.
The coach believed his players had enough in the contest to rescue a point. “This was a game in which we should have been able to find an equaliser at the end,” he said, while also stressing the need for a first clean sheet.
Monfray’s early effort clipped the top of the bar, a warning that Troyes could trouble the visitors. Then, deep into added time, Ripart’s shot crashed against the upright with the score still at 1-0, before Marseille sealed the outcome.
Dumont wanted a sharper edge in the decisive moments, calling for more drive and disorder around the opposition goal. His team could not produce it, and their defensive generosity was exploited at the other end.
The full house offered noise and backing rather than relief. Troyes ultras displayed a message supporting Jean-Marc Furlan, while the players again failed to give their supporters a first league win at the Stade de l’Aube.
Dumont did not dismiss the significance of the table. “No, it is not insignificant,” he said of 17th place. “But the season is long and it has only just begun. At times we are going to be in difficulty, and that is our reality.”
Troyes wore their green third kit, with shirt numbers difficult to pick out from the stands. The clearer picture was the one in the standings: the Ligue 2 champions still have work to do in several areas if they are to establish themselves in the top flight.
