Keito Nakamura was the hero on Sunday evening as he scored a 91st minute winner to help Reims came from behind to beat Nantes 2-1 in a pulsating French Ligue 1 clash, ending the Canaries’ unbeaten start to the season in the process.
The game which featured Cameroonian duo Jean Charles Castelletto and Ignatius Kpene Ganago returning from an injury produced one of the shocking results of the weekend.
Goals have been at a premium in recent H2Hs, with just one being scored by either side across two meetings last season. A lack of early action in the opening 25 minutes at Stade de la Beaujoire suggested another stand-off was on the cards, until Nantes’ Matthis Abline took matters into his own hands and rifled a strike from a tight angle towards Yehvann Diouf’s near post, but the Reims goalkeeper was equal to the effort.
Abline’s chance provided the catalyst for Nantes to kick on. Douglas Augusto fired the Canaries ahead just before the half-hour mark. Racing onto Moses Simon’s pass, the midfielder caught Diouf off guard with a low snapshot into the bottom corner for his first-ever Ligue 1 goal.
The goal opened up the game with Reims pulling level just six minutes later. Nhoa Sangui’s attempt was sailing towards Alban Lafont’s grasp, only for Marshall Munetsi’s header to divert the ball away from the goalkeeper and into the net.
Although the match was finely poised at the break, Antoine Kombouaré’s outfit took the initiative in the second period and bombarded Reims, rousing the home crowd in the process.
However, Nantes struggled to find a way past an inspired Diouf, who produced a double save to prevent Tino Kadewere’s strike before rising to his feet and keeping out Augusto’s follow-up attempt inside the six-yard area.
The Canaries were almost made to rue their missed opportunities late on when Reims nearly snatched a winner through Oumar Diakité’s ferocious strike, but Lafont palmed to safety.
That stop looked to ensure the contest would end level, but Reims had other ideas, snatching all three points in stoppage time. Nakamura’s drilled shot from the edge of the area nestled into the bottom corner beyond a helpless Lafont, condemning Nantes to a first league defeat of the campaign.
The performance and result is a continuation of a positive response to a loss on the opening day from Reims, who’ve now ended a six-match winless away run in Ligue 1.
Ignatius Kpene Ganago returning from a layoff
The defeat could be a downside from the camp of fifth-placed Nantes with seven points, but on a positive note Ganago returned from injury after a five weeks layoff.
Nantes will be on the road to SCO Angers next weekend on match day five of the French top-flight championship.
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