On this sunny Sunday at the Allianz Riviera, OGC Nice secured a 2-1 victory against Stade de Reims, reclaiming its runner-up spot ahead of Monaco.
The clash of the two youngest coaches in Ligue 1. At only 31 years old, Will Still, like his team, does not lack character. Eleventh last year after his arrival at Les Rouge et Blanc, the coach has nothing to be ashamed of this season. Reims is currently seventh, just ahead of OM with 23 points on the board.
His counterpart Francesco Farioli is not lagging behind either, far from it. Arriving this summer during the transfer window, the 34-year-old Italian is having a historic campaign. No team has ever achieved the feat of never trailing after 13 matches in L1, except for the Gym of 2023-2024. Undefeated until the last weekend, the Aiglons have the best defense in Europe, conceding only 6 goals.
An Electric End to the Match
In a balanced first half, Reims failed to capitalize on its chances, and Nice could have done better with a dangerous attack, but not enough to hit the mark. It was mainly in the second half that the match took a completely different turn.
Silent for 9 matches, Laborde finally liberated the Gym (55′) with a solo effort: a run, a shot, and the ball landing under the bar! It might be the most beautiful goal of this 15th matchday. And who else but Jérémie Boga to sound the death knell? Capitalizing on a hand error by Diouf, he responded to Abdelhamid, who had scored with a header a few minutes earlier (78′). Ito also found Bulka’s crossbar, but it wasn’t enough. Nice bounces back and reclaims second place, with 32 points on the board.
The next outing will be at Le Havre next Saturday at 4:00 PM.
