Ligue 1 McDonald's, Round 27, 22/03/26
Substitute Joaquin Panichelli gifted Strasbourg a gritty away win at the death with a brace in the last 15 minutes which probably condemns Vahid Halilhodžić's Nantes to the second-tier.
Nantes had no other choice but to win against Gary O'Neil's Alsatians to maintain slim hopes of survival following Auxerre's resounding 3-0 win against Brest on Saturday. Les Canaris put their money where their mouth is with a gritty start, full of movement and football with minimum touches. Matthis Abline beat Guéla Doué for pace and found Dehmaine Tabibou on the opposide right side, the winger cut inside and delivered a powerful low finish past Mike Penders.
Nantes were deservedly ahead, but Strasbourg – who may have felt tired legs following their 1-1 draw against Rijeka in the Conference League RO16 – duly grew into the game. Anthony Lopes produced a great far post save to deny Valentin Barco. It felt as if only a moment of individual brilliance would break Nantes' collective resolve.
And this moment arrived at the worst possible time for Nantes. On the stroke of half-time, Maxi Oyedele dribbled past Mohamed Kaba to apply a supreme outside-of-the-boot finish to find Lopes' bottom corner. Strasbourg went for the kill in the second half with the introduction of Joaquin Panichelli at the expense of the struggling David Datro Fofana, but Nantes still had a trick up their sleeves.
Chidozie Awaziem's deep through ball reached Abline, who beat Lucas Høgsberg on pure speed before defeating Penders from close range. O'Neil turned to his bench for a triple change with the introductions of Gessime Yassine, Samir El Mourabet and Abdoul Ouattara. With the game entering its final 15 minutes, Ignatius Ganago missed a glorious chance to double his side's lead as Penders saved his attempt from close range.
This proved the second half's turning point, because Panichelli is a different kind of ruthless. The Argentine scored his 15th Ligue 1 goal with a single powerful touch from Yassine's cutback. In injury-time, Panichelli scored Strasbourg's winning third goal following a goalmouth scramble after a double save from Julio Enciso's free-kick.
Nantes players looked absolutly dejected. After a two-week break following the postponement of their game against PSG, they conceded their 17th defeat this season, and their deficit to 16th-placed Auxerre climbs to five points. Barring a miracle, they'll feature in Ligue 2 next season.
Mike Penders – 6
Lucas Høgsberg – 3
Ismaël Doukouré – 5
Guéla Doué – 4
Maxi Oyedele – 6
Valentin Barco – 5
Sam Amo-Ameyaw – 4
Sebastian Nanasi – 4
Martial Godo – 4
David Datro Fofana – 3
With Emanuel Emegha out injured and Joaquin Panichelli given a breather, the Chelsea loanee was given a rare start by O'Neil. He made close to nothing to it, even against one of the worst defenses in Ligue 1. Logically hooked at half-time and replaced by the Argentine (8), who scored a brace in the last 15 minutes to ensure he's now Ligue 1's outright top scorer.
Matthis Abline – 7
The France U21 international striker was gently mocked by Vahid Halilhodžić for his 4-goal tally this season, adding that very good strikers like Halilhodžić was could score 4 goals in a single game. He was Nantes' best player tonight, setting up Tabibou for the opener and scoring his side's second goal.
Johann Lepenant – 5
Dehmaine Tabibou – 6
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
