Sakhi strike helps Auxerre to crucial three points against Ajaccio

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Sakhi strike helps Auxerre to crucial three points against Ajaccio
Auxerre celebrate the match-winning goal
Auxerre celebrate the match-winning goal
AFP
AJ Auxerre beat AC Ajaccio 1-0 in Ligue 1, securing just the second win in their last nine home games against newly-promoted top-flight sides.

In his first match in charge of Auxerre, Christophe Pélissier found himself coming up against Ligue 1’s longest-serving coach, Olivier Pantaloni. The new man got off to the best possible start, as having already come agonisingly close with an ambitious effort, Hamza Sakhi curled an exquisite strike into the top corner from a set-piece routine just eight minutes in - scoring his first goal since the play-off final win against AS Saint-Étienne. Sakhi was clearly in the mood, and another audacious hit deflected off Clément Vidal to force Benjamin Leroy into an impressive save.

Youcef Belaïli’s inviting free-kick delivery resulted in Ajaccio’s best chance, although Bevic Moussiti-Oko wasted it with a poor header. Things could have got even better for AJA as Nuno da Costa had two chances, but his strike following a blistering counter was palmed away by Leroy before he headed over from a corner. Having assisted the early goal in the first half, Mathias Autret had a brilliant chance to score another in the second period when the ball popped up to him fortuitously, only to make a complete mess of his attempt.

M’Baye Niang was then shown his second red card of the season for a poor sliding tackle on Mohamed Youssouf in the 57th minute. Yet, Ajaccio’s man advantage lasted just six minutes, as Cédric Avinel was dismissed for raking his studs down Da Costa’s Achilles. L’ours still showed intent as they tried to find a route to goal, but the league’s lowest scorers were unable to break down AJA’s resolute backline.

This meant that even though Gauthier Hein’s audacious effort hit the crossbar, Auxerre still ended their eight-game winless streak, which had been the longest active run in Ligue 1, lifting themselves out of the relegation zone in the process. Meanwhile, Ajaccio got off to a disappointing start in a potentially season-defining six-game run for their survival hopes, with Toulouse being the only side they face in that period who entered this game week above 14th place.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Julian Jeanvier (AJ Auxerre)

See stats from the match at Flashscore

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