OGC Nice secured a well-deserved victory on the field of Stade de Reims (2-4). Thanks to a double from Gaëtan Laborde and a solid collective performance, the Eagles continue their fine run and settle into 4th place in Ligue 1.
Right from the kick-off, Nice imposed high pressing, forcing Reims to defend in their last 30 meters. The first few minutes were marked by two decisive saves from Yehvann Diouf, who kept his team afloat against clear chances from Evan Guessand and Hicham Boudaoui. Reims, gradually, regained control from the 20th minute. Marcin Bulka, the Nice goalkeeper, was also called upon twice to counter attempts from Junya Ito and Marshall Munetsi.
The difference was made through set-pieces. In the 28th minute, from a perfectly executed corner by Jonathan Clauss, Evan Guessand rose at the penalty spot to powerfully head the ball. Nice leads logically (1-0). But the Reims team responded quickly. Six minutes later, Junya Ito capitalized on an error from Dante to slot a cross-shot and bring the two teams level (1-1).
Just before the break, Nice regained the lead. Gaëtan Laborde, jostled in the box by Okumu, won a penalty and calmly converted it (42nd minute). The Eagles went into halftime with a one-goal advantage, but Reims remained threatening.
An animated end to the match
Upon returning from the break, the two teams initially neutralized each other. But in the 64th minute, Gaëtan Laborde struck again. Perfectly assisted by Sofian Diop in the gap, he got ahead of the Reims goalkeeper to score with a precise cross-shot. Nice widened the gap and led (3-1).
Reims, far from discouraged, narrowed the gap six minutes later. Having just come on, Mamadou Diakhon took advantage of a passive Nice defense to unleash a brilliant shot from 20 meters. The ball, unstoppable, ended up in the back of Marcin Bulka’s net (70th). Reims then pushed to equalize. Buta missed a great opportunity by shooting over following a poor Nice clearance.
In the final minutes, Nice exploited the spaces left by a very advanced Reims team. Mohamed Ali Cho, well-served in depth, provided a good ball in the box to Ali Abdi who scored the decisive goal (4-2). In added time, Mohamed Ali Cho thought he had scored the fifth goal for the Gym but the action was dismissed due to an offside signaled by VAR.
With this victory (2-4), Nice confirms its status as a serious contender for the European places. “It’s a victory with style, even in moments when Reims came back or reduced the score. I think we managed well overall and deservedly won this match. We have 30 points by the 17th matchday, which isn’t bad, especially since we only had 4 after 4 matchdays,” rejoiced Franck Haise at the final whistle. Gaëtan Laborde, who scored a double and was omnipresent in the offensive phases, was the man of the match.
