Dijon 2–3 Saint-Étienne | Ligue 2, 31 August 2026

Result Summary

A gripping evening in Burgundy ended with Saint-Étienne claiming all three points in a five-goal thriller. Thierno Mamadou Lamarana Ballo's brace proved decisive, while Samy Chouchane's double gave Dijon brief hope of salvaging something from a match they ultimately couldn't hold. Augustine Boakye's 80th-minute winner sealed a 3–2 victory for Ian Cathro's side, sending the Greens away with maximum points.

Match Analysis

Saint-Étienne were the more dangerous side across the 90 minutes, and the statistics back that up emphatically. The visitors registered 17 total shots to Dijon's 13, with a striking 12 shots on target compared to just 7 for the hosts. Most telling of all was the dangerous attacks count — 54 for Saint-Étienne versus 23 for Dijon — a figure that illustrates how consistently the visitors penetrated Dijon's defensive structure. Saint-Étienne also edged possession at 52% and completed passes at a rate of 87% to Dijon's 81%, underlining their controlled approach.

The opening goal arrived in the 21st minute when Ballo converted from a right-foot shot, courtesy of a neat assist by Irvin Cardona. Dijon responded well, however, and drew level on the stroke of half-time when Samy Chouchane finished from the right following a assist from Paul Bellon, who would receive a yellow card moments later for a foul. The booking came at 44 minutes, and Saint-Étienne's Zuriko Davitashvili was also cautioned in added time for an argument, leaving both sides to regroup during the interval.

Dijon made a bold statement early in the second half, with Chouchane completing his brace on 55 minutes, this time with his left foot to give the hosts a 2–1 lead. The lead lasted less than ten minutes. Ballo nodded home a header on 64 minutes to restore parity, and both managers turned to their benches — Dijon replaced Júlio Tavares and Tyris Dong with Yanis Barka and Alexis N'Tamack, while Saint-Étienne brought on Joshua Duffus and Benjamin Old. Ballo himself was withdrawn at that point, his job done.

The decisive moment came on 80 minutes. Augustine Boakye, teed up by Davitashvili, drove home with his left foot to make it 3–2. Boakye was subsequently substituted off on 84 minutes, and Davitashvili followed in stoppage time, replaced by Nadir El Jamali. Dijon threw men forward — Ylan Aka, Jordan Marié and Mickaël Barreto all came on — but they couldn't find the equaliser, leaving Baptiste Ridira's team pointless from this encounter.

Prediction Review

Our pre-match forecast called for a Saint-Étienne away win, assigning them a 53% probability with a predicted scoreline of 0–2. The outcome — a Saint-Étienne victory — was correctly anticipated, giving our model a successful directional call at a confidence level of 57/100. The scoreline diverged from our forecast, with both teams finding the net more frequently than expected, but the fundamental assessment of Saint-Étienne's superiority proved accurate, validated by the shot and dangerous attack differentials observed in the actual match.

Key Takeaways

• Ballo was the difference-maker, contributing a goal in each half before being substituted after completing his brace.
• Chouchane's double demonstrated Dijon have attacking threat, but defensive vulnerability at key moments cost them dearly.
• Saint-Étienne's 54 dangerous attacks reflects a level of sustained pressure Dijon simply could not withstand for the full 90 minutes.
• Ian Cathro's side showed resilience in recovering from a 2–1 deficit — a strong