Eintracht Frankfurt loanee Elye Wahi helps Nice secure Ligue 1 safety behind closed doors

Elye Wahi shines in Nice’s 4-1 win over Saint-Etienne in the return leg of the tie that decided the 18th Ligue 1 team for the 2026/27 season. The Eintracht Frankfurt loanee scored the last two goals in a nervy encounter behind closed doors.

Wahi missed the scoreless first leg of the playoff against the club from Ligue 2 due to suspension. Due to crowd trouble in their last Ligue 1 fixture against Metz, Claude Puel’s side had to play tonight’s game behind closed doors. However, the lack of a hostile atmosphere seemed to benefit them, as they had been winless at home since matchday 10 in Ligue 1.

Former Augsburg attacker Irvin Cardona thought he had given the visitors an early lead, but it was chalked off for an offside in the buildup. Jonathan Clauss, who moved on to French football after his stunning season in Arminia Bielefeld’s promotion to Bundesliga, scored the opening goal of the match for Les Aiglons.

Saint-Etienne equalized from the penalty spot ten minutes before time, but they went on to concede three times as Wahi sealed Nice's safety with his second brace in their colors. He did the same in the semi-final of the Coupe de France against Strasbourg before they lost the showdown to his former club, RC Lens.

The Ivorian striker netted nine goals in only 19 appearances since his January move after his unsuccessful 18-month spell in Germany. His only goal for Frankfurt came in the DFB-Pokal first round tie against fifth-tier FV Engers 07. His future is yet to be sorted out as Frankfurt seem to be looking for a permanent transfer since they added another striker to the squad with the return of 2. Bundesliga’s top-scorer Noel Futkeu.