Nancy vs Haguenau

Nancy swept aside Haguenau 5-0 at the Stade municipal de Toul in their fourth pre-season friendly on 24 July 2026, with I. Housni scoring a hat-trick and B. Bokangu adding a brace in a one-sided workout.

How it unfolded

Nancy dominated from the first whistle. Bokangu forced a sharp save from former Nancy goalkeeper Marco Giagnorio inside the first 11 minutes, and the opener arrived in the 16th minute: Bouabdeli released Ndenbe down the left, his cutback bypassed Dabasse but Housni was on hand to tap into an empty net.

Haguenau, playing their first pre-season fixture after only ten days of training, were pinned back for the entire first half. Giagnorio — who had spent 2022–2025 at Nancy before joining Haguenau this week — kept his old side at bay with several saves, including a one-on-one stop from Bokangu (11') and a parry from a Bouabdeli drive (37'). Nancy led 1-0 at the break but could easily have been three or four ahead.

The floodgates opened after the interval. Bokangu doubled the lead in the 52nd minute, meeting Ndenbe's inswinging corner from the right with a glancing header past Giagnorio. Housni made it 3-0 five minutes later (57'), running onto a through ball behind the Haguenau defence and finishing low. The hat-trick was completed in the 70th minute when Housni intercepted a loose pass on the edge of the box and beat Giagnorio again.

Bokangu added his second of the night in the 67th minute after Housni won the ball back and teed him up, and the substitute attacker completed his double in the 72nd minute to round out the scoring.

The turning point

Haguenau had survived the first half by a single goal largely thanks to Giagnorio's heroics, but they were overwhelmed by Nancy's intensity immediately after the restart. Bokangu's headed goal from a corner in the 52nd minute — the first time Nancy scored from a set piece in the match — broke whatever resistance remained and triggered three more goals in the next 20 minutes.

Key performers

I. Housni — A 16th-minute tap-in, a clinical finish in behind the defence on 57 minutes, and a predatory strike from a defensive error on 70 minutes. The forward was involved in four of the five goals, also forcing the turnover that led to Bokangu's 67th-minute strike. Player of the match.

B. Bokangu — Scored twice (52', 72') and was a constant threat from set pieces and open play. His headed goal from Ndenbe's corner was the match's crucial second goal.

Marco Giagnorio (Haguenau) — The only reason the scoreline stayed at 1-0 at half-time. The former Nancy goalkeeper made several close-range saves, notably from Bokangu (11' and 27') and Bouabdeli (37'), and was beaten only by finishes he could not reach.

By the numbers — interpreted

Nancy's 5-0 margin was built on sustained pressure rather than explosive spells. The provider data records five goals from 12 total attempts on target (estimated), with three of the five goals arriving after the 52nd minute once Haguenau's legs went. The 1-0 half-time scoreline flattered Haguenau, who created no clear chances of their own; Nancy's xG would have been concentrated in the second half as the visitors' fitness gap showed.

What it means

Nancy's pre-season record now reads: 8-0 vs FC Mamer (D2 Luxembourg), 1-3 vs Troyes, 2-2 vs Thionville Lusitanos, and now 5-0 vs Haguenau. Manager Oswald Tanchot rang the changes in the 71st minute, replacing seven of his starting XI, and will have been encouraged by the attacking output. "It's always good for our attackers to be able to go and find confidence," Tanchot said after the match, as reported by L'Est Républicain.

Haguenau, who begin their National 1 campaign in August, will treat this as a fitness-building exercise with ten days of training behind them. They face a stiffer test in their next outing.

Nancy's next pre-season fixture is against Ligue 2 side Annecy on Tuesday 28 July 2026 — a far more revealing benchmark than this one-sided contest.

Verdict

A routine pre-season win against an opponent at a much earlier stage of preparation. Housni and Bokangu took their chances clinically, but the real test of Nancy's readiness comes against Annecy. The scoreline tells you about the gap in fitness, not necessarily the gap in quality.