Deal done: Le Havre and Metz split eight goals at Stade Océane, a 4-4 draw that keeps D. Digard’s side hovering above the relegation mess and leaves S. Le Mignan still chasing traction in 18th.
Digard stuck with his 4-2-3-1, Issa Soumaré captaining behind Mbwana Ally Samatta. Le Mignan answered with a 3-5-2 that pushed Gauthier Hein and Giorgi Kvilitaia together up front. The gamble produced chaos from the opening exchanges. Samatta scored in the 5th minute after Le Havre swarmed the second ball, only for Kvilitaia to level in the 9th minute off Hein’s neat assist. Yassine Kechta restored the lead in the 13th minute, threading through a static Metz back line.
Metz were already reshaping. Jean-Philippe Gbamin departed in the 18th minute for Nathan Mbala, a move that would later define the night. Before the interval, VAR confirmed a penalty in first-half stoppage time, and Hein rolled it in to send the teams level at the break despite Le Havre’s brighter phase.
Le Mignan pushed harder at half-time, introducing Benjamin Stambouli and Jahyann Pandore in the 46th minute, while Digard responded by sending on Lucas Gourna-Douath for extra ballast in midfield. Kvilitaia collected a yellow card for a foul in the 47th minute, yet Metz initially lost the initiative because Le Havre won another spot-kick. Yanis Zouaoui converted in the 52nd minute, seemingly swinging momentum back to Digard.
The response was immediate. Mbala, now playing off the right, slipped Pandore through in the 54th minute for 3-3, exposing Le Havre’s full-backs. Soumaré then fed Fodé Doucouré in the 61st minute for the hosts’ fourth. Even that was not enough. Second-half introductions for Godson Kyeremeh, Sofiane Boufal and Timothee Pembele tried to pin Metz back, but Mbala kept finding pockets and Hein punished the loose shape again in the 85th minute, finishing from Mbala’s second assist to seal the draw.
Lucas Gourna-Douath’s yellow card in the 80th minute summed up Le Havre’s fraying control. Simon Ebonog followed with a caution in the second minute of stoppage time before Pembele collected his own in the sixth minute of added time, a sign that Digard’s bench could not close the game out. The late introduction of Daren Nbenbege Mosengo at 90+4 underlined the desperation.
Le Havre have now drawn four straight in the league and remain 14th, relying on Soumaré’s energy and Samatta’s work-rate but still leaking too much from wide areas. Metz stay 18th, yet Hein’s two goals and an assist, combined with Mbala’s impact off the bench, offer Le Mignan a template for the final weeks.
Statistics
- Shots on target: Le Havre 5, Metz 5
- Total shots: Le Havre 14, Metz 12
- Ball possession: Le Havre 47%, Metz 53%
- Expected goals: Le Havre 2.33, Metz 1.50
- Pass accuracy: Le Havre 82%, Metz 87%
- Corner kicks: Le Havre 6, Metz 4
Focus now shifts to the next fixtures; Digard needs a win to keep daylight between Le Havre and the play-off spot, while Metz must translate Hein’s form into victories immediately. Attention at the top end of French football turns to European duty, with our Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern München Preview setting the scene for the league leaders’ midweek assignment.
