Match Report
On the table this was a mismatch: Metz (2nd, 72 pts) held a 43-point advantage over Niort (20th, 29 pts). Per game in the league, Niort were scoring 0.92 and conceding 1.76, Metz 1.61 and 0.87, against a competition average of 1.2 goals per team per game.
Metz were unbeaten in 13, having scored in 8 consecutive games. The five-game form split read 4/15 points for Niort against 11/15 for Metz.
The venue was Stade René Gaillard in Niort, with room for 10,406 spectators. On the scoreboard, it was 1-1 at the break; 2 second-half goals set the final 1-3.