Troyes secure Ligue 1 promotion with commanding win over Saint-Étienne
ESTAC Troyes have secured promotion to Ligue 1 after a decisive 3-0 victory away to Saint-Étienne at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Saturday. Goals from Merwan Ifnaoui, Tawfik Bentayeb, and Mathys Detourbet sealed the win, confirming the club's return to the French top flight after a three-year absence. The result mathematically guarantees Troyes a top-two finish in Ligue 2 with three matches remaining.
The victory, achieved in front of a raucous crowd of 38,000, was a statement performance from Stéphane Dumont's side, who have led the division since the eighth matchday. According to league statistics, this marks the seventh time Troyes have earned promotion from Ligue 2 in the single-division era, a record they now share with FC Metz. The win also ended a seven-year winless run against Saint-Étienne, dating back to 2017.
The match was a tense affair until Merwan Ifnaoui broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, finishing from the left side of the box. The crucial second goal arrived in the 89th minute when Tawfik Bentayeb capitalized on a mistake by Saint-Étienne goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur. Mathys Detourbet added a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time to complete the rout and the promotion celebration.
For Troyes, the promotion completes a remarkable turnaround. The club faced the threat of relegation to the third-tier National league as recently as 2024, making their direct ascent to Ligue 1 a significant achievement. Under manager Stéphane Dumont, the team has displayed remarkable consistency throughout the campaign, rarely relinquishing their grip on the summit of the table.
The defeat is a setback for Saint-Étienne's own promotion ambitions. Despite the intense atmosphere at the Chaudron, Les Verts failed to convert their pressure into goals, with Irvin Cardona, Kévin Pedro, and Lucas Stassin all kept at bay by Troyes goalkeeper Hilal Konaté. The loss sees Saint-Étienne drop out of the automatic promotion places, falling to third behind Le Mans, and they must now focus on securing a playoff position.
Attention will now turn to Troyes's preparations for Ligue 1, where they will need to strengthen their squad to compete. Key performers like goalscorers Bentayeb and Detourbet, who started the match on the bench, will be central to those plans. For Saint-Étienne, the immediate task is to regroup and ensure they do not fall further away from the top two in the final weeks of the season.
