Ghanaian midfielder Elisha Owusu’s unfortunate own goal proved decisive in AJ Auxerre’s 2-1 away loss to Le Havre in their French Ligue 1 clash on Sunday.
Auxerre, looking to rebound from a previous 2-0 defeat to Nantes, took an early lead when Gaetan Perrin scored a stunning free kick in the 18th minute, curling the ball into the top corner off the inside of the right post.
However, the advantage was short-lived as Owusu inadvertently deflected a pass from Le Havre’s attackers into his own net just five minutes later, leveling the score.
The situation worsened for Auxerre when Ki-Jana Hoever received a second yellow card just before halftime, reducing the team to ten men.
Le Havre capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Rassoul Ndiaye scoring a precise strike to put them ahead, and Abdoulaye Toure sealed the victory with a penalty, making it 3-1.
Despite the defeat, Auxerre remains hopeful about their Ligue 1 survival, with manager Christophe Pélissier urging the team to learn from their mistakes and focus on improving in upcoming matches.