A match at Stade de l’Aube that began with the heavy weight of history ended in a fever pitch of jubilation for Estac Troyes, as the hosts overturned years of frustration with a stunning 5-2 demolition of Guingamp. In a contest where both teams arrived with uneven early-season form but divergent ambitions, Troyes not only seized three points—they issued a statement that their Ligue 2 ambitions have teeth this season.

The narrative before kickoff was clear: Guingamp, historically the more successful of the two in head-to-head meetings, had dominated this fixture in recent years. Last season, Guingamp swept both encounters—4-0 at home, 1-0 away—and entered Saturday’s match having lost just once in their previous five clashes with Troyes. For the hosts, this was a chance to prove that their position near the top of the table was no fluke, and that the ghosts of past defeats could finally be exorcised.

From the opening whistle, Troyes played with an urgency that betrayed both their home comfort and a palpable desire to shift the balance of power. The first breakthrough came early: Jérémy Hatchi, whose energy set the tone for Troyes, found space in the box and slotted home with clinical precision in the fourth minute. The early goal seemed to shock Guingamp, who struggled to establish a foothold in midfield, with Troyes pressing high and forcing errors.

A crucial moment arrived just before halftime, when Jaures Assoumou doubled Troyes’ lead with a composed finish in first-half stoppage time. The timing was devastating for Guingamp, who trudged into the dressing room staring at a 2-0 deficit and a mountain to climb.

If the first half belonged to Troyes’ discipline and collective effort, the second was a showcase in attacking flair. Merwan Ifnaoui extended the lead further in the 53rd minute, capitalizing on a disjointed Guingamp defense. By the hour mark, Stade de l’Aube was roaring, sensing both catharsis and a rare rout. Even when Mounaim El Idrissy pulled one back for Guingamp in the 80th minute, any hope of a comeback was snuffed out almost immediately by Stanislas Kielt, whose 84th-minute strike restored Troyes’ three-goal cushion.

For Troyes, the goals did not merely count on the scoreboard—they felt symbolic. This was a club that, just a year ago, sat 18th in the table with a single point, haunted by a porous defense and a chronic inability to score. The five-goal haul on Saturday was as much a declaration of intent as it was a statistical outlier. Troyes’ home record is now unblemished this season (3-0-0), part of a run of five consecutive home victories, and their surge has carried them to second place in the standings.

Guingamp, by contrast, were left to pick through the wreckage of a defense that has now conceded in 15 consecutive matches. Their early promise this season has evaporated, and the team that once seemed to have Troyes’ number was comprehensively outclassed in every department. The defeat drops them to 13th—a far cry from the promotion ambitions whispered in the preseason.

Individually, Troyes’ standout performers were a blend of youth and experience. Hatchi’s early goal and relentless pressing set the tempo, but it was the midfield’s fluid interplay that kept Guingamp chasing shadows. Ifnaoui’s intelligence off the ball and Kielt’s late contribution underscored a newfound depth and confidence in attack, while the back line, marshaled ably by Assoumou, offered Guingamp few clear sights of goal until the match was already out of reach.

The broader implications of this result ripple beyond the final whistle. For Troyes, this is more than just three points—it’s a psychological breakthrough against a traditional bogey team and a marker laid down for the rest of Ligue 2. The numbers underscore the transformation: last season, Troyes could barely find the net in this fixture; now, they have shattered their historical averages and signaled to the league that their ambitions are not merely aspirational.

Is it premature to speak of Troyes as promotion favorites? Perhaps. But with a home fortress, a surging attack, and the weight of history suddenly working in their favor, the question now is not whether Troyes can compete—but whether anyone can stop them if this momentum is sustained.

For Guingamp, the soul-searching begins anew. Defensive frailties have become a chronic wound, and the gap between their best and worst performances is widening. Unless they can find stability at the back, the season threatens to unravel before autumn’s leaves have fallen.

Saturday’s seven-goal spectacle was a match that rewrote more than just the scoreline—it may have rewritten the script for Troyes’ season. The sleeping giant has stirred, and Ligue 2 will have to take notice.