Yéhvann Diouf went from villain to hero as OGC Nice came from behind to beat Stade Brestois 2-1 at the Stade Francis-Le Blé on Friday night. The goalkeeper's hesitation gifted Ludovic Ajorque the opener, but Elye Wahi and substitute Sofiane Diop turned the game around before Diouf saved Kenny Lala's stoppage-time penalty to secure Nice's first away league win of the season.
Match facts
- Result: Stade Brestois 1-2 OGC Nice (half-time 1-0)
- Competition: Ligue 1, Matchday 8
- Venue: Stade Francis-Le Blé, Brest
- Scorers: Brest - Ajorque 15'; Nice - Wahi 61', Diop 83'
- Red cards: None
- Next: Lorient v Brest and Nice v Rennes (Ligue 1), Saturday 31 October
How the match unfolded
Brest dominated the opening quarter of an hour, and Diouf had already saved from Pathé Mboup when the hosts went ahead in the 15th minute. Diouf dwelt on the ball as he looked for a pass out from the back, Ajorque closed him down and took it off him, and the striker rolled it into an empty net.
Later in the half the Nice goalkeeper's clearance went straight to Mama Baldé, whose cross found Kamory Doumbia in the box, but Doumbia failed to make clean contact. Wahi was caught offside twice as Nice tried to respond, and Brest led 1-0 at the break.
Diouf kept his side in the game early in the second half, saving long-range efforts from Lala and Hugo Magnetti. Nice lost Jonathan Clauss to injury in the 54th minute, and the equaliser came from a set piece seven minutes later: Mohamed Amoura swung in a corner and Wahi got in front of Lala to divert it past Egil Selvik from close range.
Olivier Pantaloni sent on Diop for Gauthier Hein in the 63rd minute, and the change decided the match. In the 83rd minute Diop pounced when Bradley Locko lost control of the ball and fed Wahi. The striker's effort was scrambled in a crowded penalty area, but Diop followed up and fired into the bottom-left corner.
Brest pushed for a leveller, and Diouf saved headers from Lucas Tousart and, in stoppage time, Gautier Lloris. Four minutes into added time, substitute Ibrahim Kanté went down under a challenge from Isak Jansson. After a VAR review, referee Guillaume Paradis awarded the penalty and booked Jansson. Lala finally stepped up in the 100th minute, but Diouf saved, and Noah Edjouma's shot from a tight angle went wide in the final seconds.
What it means for both sides
Brest had seven shots on target to Nice's two, according to ESPN, but the visitors took the points. The win lifts Pantaloni's side to 11 points and eighth place, provisionally three behind leaders Lyon, a week after their 2-1 defeat at Lyon. Nice had lost all three of their previous away league games, at Paris FC, Auxerre and Lyon; their last home game was the 2-1 win over Strasbourg sealed by Clauss.
Julien Lachuer's Brest stay on nine points in 11th place. They face a Breton derby at Lorient on Saturday 31 October (19:45 UK), while Nice host Rennes, who beat Auxerre 4-1 earlier this month, that afternoon (16:15 UK).
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Sources
- OGC Nice official match report and match sheet (Brest 1-2 Nice, Ligue 1 Matchday 8: scorers, line-ups, substitutes, referee Guillaume Paradis, kick-off 20:45 local)
- Ligue 1 official: TV schedule for Matchday 9 (Nice v Rennes, Lorient v Brest, Saturday 31 October)
- BBC Sport match page and live text (FT 1-2, HT 1-0, scorers, assists, match officials, VAR penalty, Diouf save)
- ESPN match centre and commentary (minutes, saves, substitutions, cards, VAR decision, penalty saved 90+10, shots, table)
- Ouest-France Made in Foot match analysis (Diouf error, goals, penalty save, table)
- Flashscore match report (first away win, Diouf error, Doumbia chance, Diop winner, penalty)