Friendlies Clubs· Season 2026
Orléans came from behind to beat Auxerre 2-1 at Stade Groupama, with second-half goals from Ange Bailly and Adham Ribeiro cancelling out Theo Bair's first-minute opener in Will Still's first pre-season defeat.
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
The match began at a blistering pace. Theo Bair put Auxerre ahead inside the first minute, latching onto a pass at the edge of the box and firing a low shot past Orléans goalkeeper Fei-Hong Faham (1'). It was the ideal start for the Ligue 1 side, who had won their opening pre-season friendly 5-2 against Lusitanos Saint-Maur a week earlier.
Auxerre dominated the first half and should have doubled their lead. Romain Faivre was fouled in the box for a penalty in the 23rd minute, but Faham — who had already denied Danny Namaso moments earlier — guessed correctly and saved Faivre's spot-kick to keep Orléans in the contest.
Will Still made 11 changes at half-time, fielding a youthful XI with ten of the eleven players drawn from the club's academy ranks. The reshuffle stalled Auxerre's rhythm. Orléans grew into the second period, and Guillaume Khous struck the post from a corner in the 71st minute.
The pressure told three minutes later. A loose ball in the Auxerre box fell to Ange Bailly, who swept it left-footed into the net to level the scores (74').
Orléans completed the turnaround five minutes later. Khous turned provider, finding Adham Ribeiro in the centre of the box, and the substitute finished powerfully to make it 2-1 (79'). Robin Legendre almost added a third late on (87'), but the 2-1 scoreline held.
The Turning Point
Still's wholesale half-time substitution — 10 of the 11 new faces were academy products — disrupted Auxerre's control. While the change was planned as a pre-season fitness exercise, it handed the initiative to an Orléans side playing their sixth friendly of the summer and further along in their physical preparation.
"We had a lot of good things in the first half," Still told L'Yonne Républicaine. "We could have scored three or four goals. The second half with ten of the eleven players being young — if we put two of our chances away early, we'd have finished the match with a comfortable lead. Football is cruel: when you don't score, you concede."
Key Performers
Fei-Hong Faham (Orléans) — The Orléans goalkeeper was the difference-maker. He made a sharp save to deny Danny Namaso (22'), then saved Romain Faivre's penalty (23') to keep his side in the match at 1-0. His distribution and handling under pressure gave Orléans a platform to build from.
Theo Bair (Auxerre) — The Canadian striker scored within the first minute with a crisp low finish, showing the predatory instincts that made him a key figure for Auxerre last season. He led the line well in the first half before being withdrawn at the break.
Ange Bailly (Orléans) — Scored the crucial equaliser with a composed left-footed finish from a loose ball in the box, sparking the five-minute spell that turned the game.
Guillaume Khous (Orléans) — Hit the post from a 71st-minute corner and provided the assist for Ribeiro's winner. His introduction in the 66th minute changed the game's momentum.
Player of the match: Fei-Hong Faham (Orléans)
By the Numbers — Interpreted
Auxerre's first-half dominance was emphatic: Bair's opener inside 60 seconds, a penalty won and saved, and several clear chances created. The provider data shows Auxerre's goal registered at 1' — the earliest possible strike — reflecting the intensity Still wanted. The missed penalty at 23' was the pivot: a 2-0 lead would have changed Orléans' approach entirely.
The second half told a different story. With ten academy players on the pitch, Auxerre's structure frayed, and Orléans — playing their sixth pre-season match compared to Auxerre's second — exploited the physical and organisational gap. Orléans' two goals in five minutes (74', 79') mirrored the pattern of a team further along in their conditioning cycle.
What It Means
This was Auxerre's first defeat of pre-season under Will Still, who took charge after the club's 13th-placed Ligue 1 finish in 2025/26. Still was clear-eyed about the result: "Beyond the result, which is always frustrating because we don't like losing, there were interesting things to see. There's still a heavy physical load this week and the next."
Orléans, preparing for life in Ligue 3 (National) after finishing 15th in the 2025/26 Championnat National, made it three wins from six pre-season matches. Their physical edge told in the second half.
Next up for Auxerre: vs Sochaux (1 August 2026, pre-season friendly) Next up for Orléans: vs UNFP (31 July 2026, Saran, pre-season friendly)
Verdict
A tale of two halves and two very different Auxerre XIs. Still's first XI would have won this game comfortably; the second XI, raw and overmatched, was a necessary pre-season lesson. Orléans' second-half professionalism — and Faham's penalty save — earned them a deserved victory against a side two divisions above them.
Match Events
Auxerre and Orleans have met 16 times — Auxerre won 6, Orleans won 5, with 5 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2014. Auxerre leads the head-to-head with 6 victories from 16 meetings. A combined 41 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 2.56 per match (22 for the home side, 19 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 8 matches (50%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 8 games (50%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. Auxerre are currently unbeaten in the last 4 meetings. The highest-scoring encounter finished 3–2 in 2022.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 26 Jul 2026