The goalless stalemate at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium marked a new low in terms of expected goals (xG), recording a combined total of just 0.41—0.11 for Saint-Étienne and 0.30 for Nice. According to Opta data, this represents the lowest xG figure ever recorded in a full professional match in Ligue 1, Ligue 2, or their respective playoffs over the past four seasons.

Only two other encounters in recent months have come close to this barren display: Grenoble-Bastia (0.55 xG, 0-0) on September 26 and Toulouse-Strasbourg (0.56 xG, 1-0) on December 6. Notably, the 0-1 win between Metz and Brest on December 12, 2023, was labeled an “achievement” with a slightly higher xG of 0.54.

Saint-Étienne’s offensive struggles reached an extreme: the team failed to attempt a single shot inside the opposition’s penalty area, a rarity in their last two decades. This has only happened twice before—in April 2017 against Paris Saint-Germain (0-5) and in December 2024 against Marseille (0-2), both at home. Yet, defensive solidity remained a silver lining. Despite the lack of attacking output, the club’s backline stood firm, securing 15 clean sheets this season, second only to the 18 recorded by Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.