Bourg-en-bresse 01 vs Dijon

Dijon imposed themselves early in a 4-4-2 diamond shape. Hatem Mimoune tested Bourg goalkeeper Lenny Montfort with a 25-yard free-kick (10') before creating the opener moments later. Mimoune pounced on a loose ball and fed Tyris Dong, whose header was saved by Montfort. From the resulting corner, Dong deflected the ball to Ben-Chayeel Hamada, who scored from close range (16').

Alexis Ntamack nearly doubled the lead on 31 minutes, seeing his goal-bound effort cleared off the line after a Brandon Ndezi run. The score remained 1-0 at half-time.

Hugo Vargas-Rios hit the post early in the second half (48'), and Dong forced another Montfort save (55'). Dijon then made a raft of substitutions (66'), and Bourg capitalised on the disruption. Exaucé Mpembélé — announced as a new signing only the day before — curled a fine finish past the Dijon defence to equalise (71').

Ismail Diallo drew a sharp save from Pierre Popp (87') as Bourg pushed for a winner. But with three minutes of added time signalled, a Dijon cross was blocked by a Bourg arm inside the area. Yanis Barka stepped up and sent Popp the wrong way to snatch the win (90+1').

Dijon's mass substitution just past the hour mark momentarily broke their rhythm and allowed Bourg back into the game. But the same fresh legs — Barka, Diallo, Barreto and others — provided the energy to force the decisive penalty. Dijon coach Baptiste Ridira gambled on a full reset of the outfield and it paid off, albeit narrowly.

• Yanis Barka (Dijon): Entered as a 66th-minute substitute and scored the winning penalty with composure. His third goal of pre-season, per ICI Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
• Exaucé Mpembélé (Bourg-en-Bresse 01): Scored on his debut appearance for the club, just 48 hours after his loan from Paris 13 Atletico was confirmed. A well-taken finish that earned Bourg a share of the game until the final seconds.
• Ben-Chayeel Hamada (Dijon): Opened the scoring with a poacher's finish from a corner and was a steady presence in midfield before his substitution.
• Lenny Montfort (Bourg-en-Bresse 01): The former Dijon goalkeeper made several excellent saves against his old club, including a point-blank stop from Ntamack.

Player of the match: Yanis Barka — decisive impact from the bench.

The provider data records three goals from six shots on target (estimated), with Dijon holding the territorial edge for most of the first 70 minutes. Bourg's xG was concentrated in a 15-minute spell after Dijon's mass substitution, reflecting the disruption caused by wholesale changes. Both teams used the fixture primarily for minutes and tactical experimentation — Dijon fielded two entirely different outfield units across the 90 minutes, per the DFCO match report.

Dijon (Ligue 2, 2026/27) extended their pre-season winning streak to three matches, following victories over UNFP (5-2) and Niederkorn (4-1). They have one more friendly — against Sochaux on Saturday 25 July — before their Ligue 2 opener at Montpellier in mid-August.

Bourg-en-Bresse 01 (Championnat National, 3rd tier) played their third pre-season friendly under new coach Nicolas Rabuel. After a 0-0 draw with Grenoble (Ligue 2) and a 1-0 win over GOAL FC, this was their first defeat. They face the Olympique Marseille reserve side on Saturday 25 July.

A typical pre-season contest decided by fine margins. Dijon's greater depth told in the end, but Bourg showed they can compete with a side one division above them. Mpembélé's instant impact will encourage Rabuel; Barka's penalty-taking reliability is a useful asset for Ridira ahead of the Ligue 2 campaign.