Matthis Abline’s painful parallel as misses precede relegations with Auxerre in 2023 and Nantes in 2026 | OneFootball

Matthis Abline endured a grim repeat on Friday as defeat at Lens confirmed Nantes' relegation, echoing his 2023 near-miss with Auxerre. L'Équipe highlights a painful parallel for the forward.

At 0-0 on 75 minutes at Bollaert-Delelis, Abline shot rather than find Ignatius Ganago, free in the middle, and struck the post. Nantes later lost 1-0 and could not catch Auxerre in the play-off spot.

Johann Lepenant said he had not seen the images and was far from the move, adding Abline chose to shoot because he felt he could score.

Anthony Lopes said the shot against the post would be regretted, but it was only part of a wider picture.

In 2023 Abline was on loan at Auxerre from Rennes and a win at Toulouse in the penultimate round would have secured safety. He spurned a late one-on-one at 1-1 and the draw held.

Auxerre then lost 3-1 to Lens on the final day. Abline was confronted by supporters as he left the players’ area, with Isaak Touré defending him and escorting him to his car. Auxerre finished 17th in a season with four direct relegations, going down in favour of Nantes by one point.

Source: L'Équipe