Opta data reveals a staggering lack of attacking intent. Neither team managed a single shot on target throughout the 103 minutes of play. The combined expected goals (xG) total stood at just 0.41—0.11 for Saint-Étienne and 0.30 for Nice—marking the lowest figure for any full match in Ligue 1, Ligue 2, or their playoffs since the 2022-2023 season.

This season’s only comparable lows came from Grenoble-Bastia (0.55 xG, 0-0) and Toulouse-Strasbourg (0.56 xG, 1-0). Earlier, in December 2023, Metz and Brest managed a slightly higher but still meager 0.54 xG in their stalemate.

For Saint-Étienne, the absence of any shots on target was a rarity. Only twice in the past two decades has the club failed to trouble the opposition’s goal in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2—April 2017 against Paris Saint-Germain (0-5) and December 2024 against Marseille (0-2), both at home. Yet, defensive solidity remains a silver lining. With 15 clean sheets this season, the club trails only Paris Saint-Germain (18), boasting the second-best defensive record across both top-flight and second-tier competitions.