ANGERS, France (Interstat) — Angers opened its Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 victory over 10-man FC Metz on Sunday at Stade Raymond Kopa.

The decisive moment came in the 25th minute as midfielder Louis Mouton finished a play assisted by substitute Terry Yegbe. Metz played a man down from the ninth minute after Jean-Philippe Gbamin received a red card. The visitors struggled to generate offense thereafter.

The match grew chippy, producing four yellow cards, including one for Mouton and another for Angers’ Branco van den Boomen. The result defied a pregame projection that favored Angers to win by a larger margin. Angers begins the campaign with a win while Metz starts with a loss.