Nice came into the game in a buoyant mood having become the first French team to defeat Paris Saint-Germain in the league this season, running out 3-1 winners at Parc des Princes last Friday. The Aiglons knew they could take advantage of playing before all of their rivals this weekend and put the pressure onto their shoulders.
Before the game, Manager Franck Haise said his team are “capable of great things”, and whilst they weren’t at their free-flowing best in the first half, they were able to hit the front with 15 minutes on the clock when a chipped ball into the area wasn’t dealt with by the Reims defence, and it fell kindly to Morgan Sanson who swept it into an empty net for his third goal in just his second start of the season.
The goal aside, there wasn’t much to write home about in a first half that saw both teams only muster a single shot on target apiece, with Reims’ poor record in this fixture undoubtedly on their minds as they struggled to make an impression.
Having done enough to take a one-goal lead into half-time, the hosts were keen to press on after the restart. Haise’s men have only lost twice at home in Ligue 1 this season, but those two reversals did come in their last four matches, and they weren’t looking particularly convincing against their lowly opposition.
The home fans would have been concerned by the fact their team’s last six matches had seen both sides score, with Les Aiglons doing little to threaten a second goal, and they were almost punished with just over 20 minutes remaining when a ball across the area found Valentin Atangana unmarked, but the midfielder lost his footing slightly and saw his close-range effort fly over the crossbar.
The Red and Whites looked the likelier team to find a goal late on, but Nice did just about enough to keep them at bay and hold on for a victory that lifts them into third for the time being, while Reims will have to wait until next week to mathematically secure their Ligue 1 safety as they sit 13th, five points clear of the drop zone with two games remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Morgan Sanson (Nice)
You can find more about the match here.
