Nice (France) (AFP) – Elye Wahi's late brace helped Nice beat former French giants Saint Etienne 4-1 on Friday to retain their place in Ligue 1 and prevent the defeated visitors from gaining promotion from Ligue 2.
Issued on: 29/05/2026 - 23:38
1 min Reading time
Nice forward Elye Wahi (C) grabbed two goals on the counter attack with time running out © Valery HACHE / AFP
A season after finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League qualifying rounds, Nice suffered a dreadful slump that saw them finish in the relegation play-off spot.But they salvaged their top flight status thanks in no small part to forward Wahi, who joined on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt in January.Saint Etienne, who were relegated from Ligue 1 last season, finished third in Ligue 2 this season and came through a play-off against Rodez to face Nice.After a 0-0 draw at Saint-Etienne on Tuesday, Friday's return leg was a more open encounter in an empty Allianz Riviera stadium, due to Nice being punished for previous crowd trouble.Nice opened the scoring on 62 minutes through Jonathan Clauss.Zuriko Davitashvili equalised from the penalty spot before Nice overran the visitors with a flurry of late goals.
