Le Havre were beaten 2-1 by Brest at home on 5 September, as Kamory Doumbia scored twice to secure his side’s victory in the third round of the French Ligue 1 season.
The hosts made a difficult start and fell behind after only 12 minutes. Doumbia opened the scoring for Brest, putting the visitors in front and giving Le Havre an immediate challenge to overcome.
Le Havre’s task became even harder before half-time when they were reduced to 10 players. Junior Mwanga was shown a red card, leaving the home side to play the remainder of the match with a numerical disadvantage.
Brest took advantage of the extra space and became more adventurous after the interval. Their pressure was rewarded six minutes into the second half, when Doumbia scored again to complete his double and extend the visitors’ lead.
The second goal put Brest in a commanding position, while Le Havre faced the difficult task of trying to recover with one fewer player. Despite that setback, the hosts continued to fight for a way back into the game.
Their efforts eventually produced a goal in the 79th minute. Rayan Fofana converted a penalty to reduce the deficit to one, giving Le Havre hope of earning a result in the closing stages.
However, Brest held on to claim all three points. The victory means Brest have collected five points from their opening three matches of the Ligue 1 campaign.
Le Havre remain without a win after three games. They have taken just one point so far and will need to improve their results in the coming matches after another difficult evening at home.
The result was shaped by Brest’s fast start, Doumbia’s finishing and Mwanga’s dismissal before the break. Le Havre managed to reduce the gap late on through Fofana’s penalty, but they could not find an equaliser.