Reims maintain solid start

Promoted Reims continued their solid start to life in Ligue 1 by inflicting a fourth straight defeat on Nancy.

Promoted Reims continued their solid start to life in Ligue 1 by inflicting a fourth straight defeat on Nancy. Gaetan Courtet opened the scoring after seven minutes and Diego Rigonato put the game beyond Nancy by converting a penalty on the hour against the run of play to lift the top-flight newcomers to fifth spot. The result extended Reims' unbeaten run to four games and saw Nancy slip to second-bottom of the standings. The visitors had barely settled at the Stade Auguste Delaune before finding themselves behind, Courtet racing into the box to get on the end of Antoine Devaux's corner and blast past a helpless Guy N'Dy Assembe. Nancy soon got into their stride, though, and had much the better of the remainder of the rest of the first half but found Reims goalkeeper Kossi Agassa in inspired form. Agassa kept out a first-time Andre Luiz shot after nine minutes and then blocked a Loosemy Karaboue effort from the edge of the area seven minutes later. Yohan Mollo was the provider for both of those chances, and he tried his own luck midway through the half after being freed by Karaboue only to also be frustrated by Agassa. Djamel Bakar was next to have a go after being released by Sebastien Puygrenier, Agassa this time getting down well to keep out the low drive. Puygrenier must have thought he had got his side back on level terms in first-half stoppage time when he connected with Mollo's corner virtually under the bar, but Agassa somehow slapped the ball to safety. Nancy continued in the same vein after the interval, but Agassa too carried on where he left off in the first period, thwarting Bakar after he lashed in a 12-yard shot following a neat pass by Joel Sami. However, Sami then conceded a penalty by fouling Grzegorz Krychowiak to hand Reims the chance to double their advantage despite having not had a look-in since their opener. Rigonato made no mistake from the spot. The hosts could have rubbed salt in Nancy's wounds moments later when Devaux put Rigonato through on N'Dy Assembe, but the goalkeeper won the duel. Nancy did not give up but continued to have no luck against Agassa, their final effort of the evening - a right-footed attempt from Bakar - blocked by the Reims keeper two minutes from time.