Rodez beats FC Nantes 5-2 at La Beaujoire to leave hosts bottom of Ligue 2

First-half lead undone by second-half collapse

FC Nantes suffered a 5-2 home defeat against Rodez AF on Saturday at Stade de la Beaujoire. The home side opened the match with early control, led by two goals from forward Killian Corredor against his former club in the 4th and 24th minutes. Corredor was forced off the pitch at half-time with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Dehmaine Tabibou. Following his departure, Nantes lost defensive structure and conceded four unanswered goals in the second half. Rodez capitalized on every opening, scoring four times from four shots on target during the second period.

Hat-trick from Baldé seals away victory

Rodez began their comeback early in the first half when Ibrahima Baldé found the net in the 15th minute. Ryan Ponti levelled the match at 2-2 just two minutes after the restart. Nantes had a potential go-ahead goal from Guirassy disallowed by the referee shortly after the equalizer. Baldé then decided the contest with two quick goals in the 71st and 72nd minutes to complete his hat-trick. An own goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time by Saïdou Sow finalized the 5-2 scoreline.

We play an ideal first 45 minutes, we lead... and then we get onto the pitch and I don't know what happens, we collapse mentally.

Manager Der Zakarian confronts squad attitude

The defeat leaves Nantes manager Michel Der Zakarian under intense pressure just three matches into the campaign. Der Zakarian was appointed in June 2026 with the mandate of returning the club to Ligue 1 following last season's relegation. During the post-match press conference, the manager struck the desk and criticized the lack of commitment shown by his squad across the pitch. He stated that he would retire from coaching if the club board decided to dismiss him. He noted that Rodez won 55% of individual duels and dominated physical contests throughout the final 45 minutes.

If they are not happy with my work, they fire me and that is it. But the players, they need to get off their asses too.

Relegation concerns emerge after third straight defeat

The result leaves Nantes at the bottom of the Ligue 2 table with zero points from their opening three fixtures. The club previously suffered a 1-0 defeat against Red Star and a 2-1 loss away at Laval. Rodez moved up to fourth place with six points, while FC Metz reached five points following a 1-1 draw with Laval elsewhere on Saturday. In that match, Laval took the lead through a penalty by Julien Maggiotti in the 49th minute before Pape Moussa Fall equalized for Metz in the 78th minute. Nantes defender Lucas Perrin publicly acknowledged that the squad must now focus on avoiding a second consecutive relegation rather than chasing promotion.

The goal of promotion is perhaps too high, we are playing more for survival.