Montpellier vs Le Puy Foot

The first half was a cagey affair, the heat dictating the tempo. New signing Florian Tardieu, starting in the holding midfield role, organised play from deep. The deadlock was broken in the 29th minute when Yanis Issoufou collected a deflected ball and slotted home with a left-footed finish from a tight angle, just before the first cooling break.

Montpellier doubled their lead in the 53rd minute. Théo Chennahi delivered a precise through-ball into the path of Junior Ndiaye, who took one touch and fired a low, curling shot across the goalkeeper and into the far corner.

Le Puy pulled one back from the penalty spot four minutes later. Lilian Barret was adjudged to have been fouled by Hichem Abderrebi, and Plamedi Nsingi stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way — 2-1 at the half-time whistle.

The second half followed a similar pattern of Montpellier control until the 77th minute, when Antoine Gauthier — Le Puy's No. 18 — unleashed a venomous left-footed strike from range that flew into the top corner, levelling the match at 2-2.

The momentum shift was short-lived. In the 88th minute, midfielder Homssa won the ball high up the pitch with a determined press, drove towards goal, and squared for L. Megnan-Pavé to tap into an empty net, restoring Montpellier's lead at 3-2.

Montpellier pulled away in the final quarter-hour. Trialist Gregory Ayem made it 4-2 in the 109th minute with a crisp right-footed drive from outside the box, and Everson Jr capped the scoring in the 119th minute with a stunning 25-yard strike into the top corner — a missile that left the Le Puy goalkeeper with no chance.

Le Puy had earned a deserved equaliser through Gauthier's superb strike and, for roughly ten minutes, looked the likelier side to push on. But Montpellier's response was immediate. Homssa's pressing and assist for Megnan-Pavé — the 88th-minute goal, barely 11 minutes after Gauthier's equaliser — reversed the momentum decisively. From that moment, Le Puy's energy faded and Montpellier's superior depth told.

Yanis Issoufou opened the scoring with a composed finish and was a persistent threat on the left flank, linking well with Ndiaye and Chennahi in the first period.

Everson Jr ran the midfield in the second half, organising play, winning duels, and scoring a goal-of-the-season contender from 25 yards.

L. Megnan-Pavé came on for the second half and was a constant menace, scoring the crucial 3-2 goal and forcing several saves from the Le Puy goalkeeper.

Antoine Gauthier (Le Puy) was the standout for the visitors — his equaliser was a moment of genuine quality, and his hold-up play caused problems for the Montpellier defence.

Player of the match: Everson Jr — his control of the midfield and stunning late strike tilted the game decisively Montpellier's way.

The match was played in a non-standard format (two 60-minute halves with two cooling breaks), which makes direct statistical comparison with a standard 90-minute fixture difficult. Livefoot.fr recorded 50% possession for each side, 28 dangerous attacks to 22, and four total shots each — a stat line that suggests a tighter contest than the 5-2 scoreline implies. The four shots on target (all Montpellier's) versus zero for Le Puy tells the story of finishing quality: Le Puy scored twice from low-percentage chances, while Montpellier converted five of their four on-target efforts, suggesting clinical finishing rather than total dominance.

Montpellier's second pre-season friendly — following a 3-2 win over Aubagne on 11 July — continues their build-up to the 2026–27 Ligue 2 season. The match served as a test for new signings (Florian Tardieu, Daylam Meddah) and trialists (Gregory Ayem, Gioacchini), all of whom impressed. Notably absent was Malian striker Mamadou Camara, who arrived on Thursday and did not feature.

Le Puy Foot, preparing for the upcoming National 1 season, showed character in coming back from 2-0 down but were ultimately outgunned by a Ligue 2 side with greater squad depth.

Next up: Montpellier face Cannes on Wednesday 22 July in their third pre-season friendly (source: Midi Libre).

A chaotic, entertaining friendly that told pre-season truths: Montpellier's depth is useful, their trialists are auditioning well, and Everson Jr looks ready for a significant role in the season ahead. Le Puy will take heart from a competitive 80-minute display but will need to tighten up defensively against sharper opposition.

Kickoff: 17:00 local time, 17 July 2026 | Venue: Stade Pierre Pibarot, Alès | Referee: Éric Wattellier (first period) | Attendance: not published at time of writing