Only 17 goals were scored on the opening day of Ligue 1 this weekend, an average of 1.9 goals per game—the lowest total recorded since the 2015-16 season. A sad record, as the French league is trying to restore its reputation.

Ten years later, Ligue 1 has broken a new record. While the French league resumed this weekend, with the ambition of selling a quality product following the launch of Ligue 1+, the French league celebrated a sad record. Only 17 goals were scored on this first matchday, a ratio of 1.9 goals per match. According to Opta, it has been ten years since a Ligue 1 first weekend has been so unproductive.

You have to go back to the 2015-16 season to find worse. At the time, French league clubs scored the same number of goals, 17, but with 20 clubs in the first division, compared to 18 this season. This gave an average of 1.7 goals per match.

A 3-3 draw between Brest and Lille boosts the stats

While Ligue 1 can boast of having started the season with no 0-0 draws, low scores were the order of the day for this first match, with seven matches ending with the narrowest margin of 1-0 out of nine matches played. And the French championship can thank the very entertaining Brest-Lille, which ended 3-3, for boosting its statistics.

Only Monaco also scored three goals on this opening day, with a 3-1 victory against Le Havre. While the match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Nantes was on paper the most unbalanced of the weekend, Luis Castro's men made life difficult for Luis Enrique's, who had rotated players to give his players, who were still recovering, a break. With a narrow 1-0 victory, PSG even lowered the average number of goals scored per match on this opening day of the French Championship.