Nice wins 1-0 on the Reims field thanks to a goal by young Saïd Benrahma and takes an important step towards staying up. With six matches to go, the Aiglons can breathe easy before hosting the league leaders from Paris, on Saturday afternoon.
It’s a victory that matters both mathematically and mentally. Entangled in a race for points to secure their spot as quickly as possible, like last season, the Aiglons approached this trip to Champagne with determination and desire.
This decisive match, in terms of staying up, starts in the best possible way. The young Saïd Benrahma, starting his second match as a professional, takes advantage of a blocked cross from Valentin Eysseric to head the ball into the net (0-1, 4th minute). It’s the first goal at the senior level for the right winger, who usually plays in the CFA. With drive, precision, and play, the Nice team dominates a Reims side in great difficulty. The promising first quarter of an hour only lasts a while, and the pace of the game slows down as minutes pass. It’s not until the 18th minute that Stade de Reims has its first chance, a shot from Charbonnier. The duo Eysseric-Benrahma is unstoppable. The connection between the two Aiglons is evident and causes trouble for the opposing defense. As the half-hour mark approaches, the Nice team gradually fades, giving hope to Reims. Olivier Guégan’s men’s lack of success benefits the Azuréens, as Charbonnier misses his header while Simon Pouplin seemed beaten.
“Many teams are fighting to stay up, so Reims had an obligation to secure a result tonight. We managed to play a solid game, which was crucial. We were present when they pushed at the beginning of the second half, we held firm and resisted,” explains Romain Genevois on the club’s official website.
Nice starts very poorly in the second half and suffers from Reims’ attacks. The post saves an apathetic Nice side. Reims defender Fofana jumps higher than anyone and heads the ball onto Pouplin’s post. The ball then trickles along the goal line before a crucial clearance from Nampalys Mendy. The red and black can thank their goalkeeper, Simon Pouplin, who was decisive several times in the first quarter-hour with saves on shots from De Préville and Diego. Nice weathers the storm and clearly picks up pace around the hour mark. Several times, Valentin Eysseric and Eric Bauthéac lack success, making the wrong choice of shot or pass. Claude Puel and his players think they’ve secured the win at the end of the game with a shot from Grégoire Puel, but a miraculous save from Fofana keeps his team in the game.
“We played an interesting first half. We managed to create many opportunities and opened the scoring with a nice play. After that, we struggled with the final action, the crucial last pass in the box even though we had the ball. We were anxious until the end. To stay up, we’ll have to keep fighting, but I hope we secure it quickly so we can relax,” analyzes Claude Puel.
A victory that relieves Nice, climbing to 10th place with 41 points. The victory of Toulouse (1-0) against Montpellier puts OGC Nice six points clear of the relegation zone plus the overall difference (number of goals scored minus those conceded). It’s even tighter with Lorient and Reims, who have the same number of points as Toulouse. Now two difficult matches await Nice: hosting PSG before heading to Rennes. While staying up is far from officially secured, with 41 points after 32 matches, it’s very rare to collapse. But… let’s stay cautious.
