Geoffroy-Guichard stadium witnessed a footballing desert this Tuesday evening as Saint-Étienne and Nice played out a goalless stalemate in the Ligue 1/Ligue 2 playoff first leg. The match produced no shots on target from either side throughout the 103 minutes of play, while the total expected goals (xG) barely crossed 0.41 — 0.11 for the home side and 0.30 for the visitors. According to Opta data, this represents the lowest attacking output in any full professional match in France’s top two divisions (including playoffs) over the past four seasons.

Only two other games this season came close to such a barren display: Grenoble versus Bastia (0.55 xG, 0-0, September 26) and Toulouse against Strasbourg (0.56 xG, 1-0, December 6). The previous record holder was the December 12, 2023 encounter between Metz and Brest (0-1), which registered 0.54 xG — described at the time as a statistical anomaly.

Saint-Étienne’s offensive drought was particularly striking: the club failed to register a single shot on target in the opposition box, a feat last seen only twice in the past two decades. The last comparable occasions came in April 2017 against Paris Saint-Germain (0-5) and December 2024 against Marseille (0-2), both at home. Yet this lack of creativity was not without its silver lining. The club’s defensive solidity shone through, with just 15 clean sheets conceded all season — second only to the dominant Paris Saint-Germain, who recorded 18.