Nigeria’s Akor Adams the hero as Montpellier edge Auxerre to secure first Ligue 1 win of the season

Akor Adams delivered his best performance of the season to power Montpellier SC to a thrilling 3-2 victory at home to Auxerre in their Ligue 1 clash on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Montpellier had failed to win any of their first five league games of the 2024/25 season but Adams contributed two well-taken goals to turn the club’s fortunes around.

It looked like it was going to be another poor afternoon for Montpellier as Auxerre led for well over an hour courtesy of Hamed Traorè’s 18th-minute strike.

However, Akor drew the hosts level in the 65th minute when his close-range header from a Téji Savanier cross nestled into the bottom left corner.

More drama followed as in two second-half minutes, Montpellier’s Modibo Sagnan and Auxerre’s Ado Onaiwu traded goals to leave the scoreboard reading two-all.

However, Adams swung the tie in Montpellier’s favour in the 75th minute when he put the finishing touch to a lightning-quick counter-attacking move.

This is the first time Adams will score a brace in a league game for Montpellier since October 2023, when he struck twice in a 3-0 victory over Toulouse.

It is, however, his fourth brace in Ligue 1 with Lorient and Le Havre the other French clubs to have felt his wrath.

Adams now has three league goals this season as he already opened his account in a 3-1 defeat to Nantes in August.

Montpellier, with the win, boast four points from five games and will next weekend make the trip to face high-flying AS Monaco.