Auxerre have become the first Ligue 1 club in 40 years to concede at least 10 goals across their opening three matches of a French championship season, after losing 3-1 away to Lyon on Friday.
The Burgundy side have now allowed 11 goals in their first three games of the campaign, leaving them at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table. Their latest defeat at Lyon confirmed an unwanted distinction that had not been seen in the competition since 1985.
The previous club to suffer the same fate was Bastia. The Corsican side conceded 12 goals during their first three matches that year, one more than Auxerre have allowed this season. Bastia went on to finish bottom of the league table at the end of the campaign.
Auxerre’s position at the foot of the standings means the comparison with Bastia is already particularly stark. Although the season remains at an early stage, Auxerre have matched a defensive record that had stood alone for four decades.
Friday’s 3-1 loss at Lyon was the result that brought the record into focus. Auxerre had already conceded heavily in the two preceding fixtures, and the four-goal match at Lyon took their total for the opening three rounds to 11.
The figure places Auxerre in an unwanted position in Ligue 1 history. Since Bastia’s 1985 start, no other club had conceded 10 or more goals over the first three rounds of the French championship.
Auxerre are therefore not only searching for their first improvement in the table but also attempting to halt a run of defensive results that has immediately placed them under pressure. Their tally of 11 goals conceded is one fewer than Bastia’s total from 1985, but the broader significance is the same: Auxerre are the first team since then to reach double figures in that category after three matches.
The result at Lyon was one of two games played in the French championship on Friday. For Auxerre, however, it carried consequences beyond the points lost. The defeat left the club bottom of Ligue 1 and ensured that their early defensive record would be compared with one of the competition’s most difficult starts in recent decades.
Bastia’s campaign ultimately ended with last place in the final standings. Auxerre currently occupy that same position, although their place in the table reflects only the opening three rounds of the present season.