AJ Auxerre earned a hard-fought 4-3 friendly win over Clermont Foot on Friday, October 2nd. The Burgundy club had to see out the match with ten men after Souleymane Diomandé's sending-off.
Romain Faivre opened the scoring for Auxerre in the 31st minute. After the break, Cameron Archer netted a quick double in the 50th and 53rd minutes, taking his tally to three goals in three appearances this season. Rayan Labeau Lascary appeared to seal the win in the 59th minute for a 4-0 lead.
The Clermont fightback
Clermont Foot then mounted their comeback. Elhadji Mor Canté pulled one back in the 69th minute. Francesco Bianchini then converted two consecutive penalties, in the 72nd and 76th minutes, to bring the score back to 4-3. Diomandé's dismissal in the 75th minute left Auxerre at a numerical disadvantage under intense Clermont pressure.
AJA, tenth in Ligue 1 with six points, managed to preserve this one-goal victory. This positive result comes ahead of a significant away trip to Rennes on October 11th. The full upcoming schedule can be found on our fixtures page. The full squad, where Cameron Archer confirms his status as top scorer, can be viewed on our squad page.
