Ligue 2: Caen Delay Promotion After Home Defeat to Tours
Stade Malherbe Caen missed a golden opportunity to secure promotion to Ligue 1 after suffering a 3-1 defeat at home to Tours on Friday night. The setback, coming on the 37th and penultimate matchday of Ligue 2, ended Caen’s impressive 12-match unbeaten run and means their return to the top flight is not yet assured.
Bengali-Fodé Koïta, Caen’s Franco-Guinean striker, expressed disappointment after the result but remained optimistic ahead of the final two fixtures. “Let’s say that tonight we used our joker,” he told reporters. “We were keen to secure this promotion tonight, but I think we missed out. I don’t know if it was fear or if we were caught up in the stakes. We’re still lucky to have two other jokers.”
Koïta urged his teammates to remain composed and focused as they prepare to face Nîmes on Tuesday and travel to Dijon on Friday. “We must not panic. We have to stay united as we have been throughout this second half of the season. We need to react and not throw everything away like that.”
Caen currently sit second in Ligue 2, level on points with Lens and two ahead of Nancy. However, unlike their closest rivals, Caen still have two matches left to play, providing them with a crucial advantage in the race for promotion.
