The Stade de Reims breathes better. The start of the match, although to the advantage of Le Havre, nevertheless highlighted the state of feverishness in which several stadium players were immersed. The difference with the three previous matches is that, this time, the success was on the red and white side.
Indeed, it takes a little (a lot) so that, on a shot, the ball returned by the opposing goalkeeper arrives right at the attacker who just has to push it into the goal. But it is all the events of this HAC – Reims which will have swung in favor of the Champenois. And as a team leading the score is never the same as the one chasing after, all these little slags poisoning the stadium game in recent weeks will have become almost invisible to the less informed.
Yehvann DIOUF
He got his first clean sheet of the season at the end of a clean performance both in terms of his aerial output and his reflexes on the line. His success came when, unable to block a header from Sabbi deflected by Okumu, Ayew placed his shot right on him while the cage was wide open (51e).
Aurelio Buta
He was off to a good start, saving a hot situation in front of Sabbi (5e) before forcing Desmas to go for a mid-height shot (8e). Unquestionably in better shape than during his previous outing against Brest, the Portuguese full-back had to come out with an injury in the 40the minute. His replacement, Abdul HONEwill not have made a strong impression because he will have mixed an excess of naivety with a propensity to seek difficulty.
Joseph OKUMU
A fairly average match as he found a place in the center. Not unhappy either on a hand in his area that the VAR refused to sanction because it was following a counter favorable to Casimir going straight to his wrist (72e). Furthermore, he was guilty of several pushes behind the opponent's back.
Emmanuel AGBADOU
Put in the same situation as Atangana in Auxerre with a yellow card received from the 2e minute, he managed his game with experience and common sense, avoiding finding himself in an ambiguous position and avoiding making contact.
Sergio AKIEME
He did his share of work defensively and was generous offensively with several sharp climbs. It is he who offers the second goal to Nakamura after having erased Sabbi thanks to an astonishing oriented control (20e).
Marshall is in trouble
Without shining, his presence was reassuring. And this even if he tended to position himself a little high in the first minutes, leaving his young teammates in the middle to face the Le Havre pressing alone. It is he who we find at the origin of the 2e goal having triggered Norman anger (and the expulsions of Didier Digard and Nicolas Douchez) because he recovered the ball following contact with Operi.
Amadou KONE
From the start, he lost a ball 30 meters from his goal which could have been costly. It was difficult to see the light of day during the good (first) quarter of an hour of “Hacmen”. This will have improved later. Replaced by Go FLIGHT (71e).
Valentin ATANGANA
Like Koné, he was hampered by Normandy's intensity at the start of the match but was no stranger to the fact that the Stade imposed its rhythm more and more clearly as the game progressed.
Junya ITO
Moving across the entire front of the attack, he was nevertheless not in the mix for the first two goals. But he made himself indispensable and had the merit of registering a third achievement sealing the fate of the meeting (57e). At the end of the action, we had to be careful as Diakité's offside, which seemed so obvious to everyone, was not there. Replaced by Mamadou DEACON (85e).
Oumar DIAKITÉ
He never lets himself be defeated. Neither by the criticisms – justified – nor by the adversary. A warrior at heart, he was there where he needed to take everything in his path – the ball and Lloris – following Nakamura's shot pushed back by Desmas (15e). Combative, he received a warning which was not necessary (32e). Clever, he preserved the few centimeters necessary not to find himself offside and serve Ito on the third goal (57e). Replaced by Amine SALAMA (71e).
Keito NAKAMURA
Decisive in the first half, when his team was consumed by doubt and inefficiency, he was the trigger. Totally involved in the opener before scoring for the sixth time this season, the Japanese international was where expected. And could have claimed to achieve a double… if Salama had not forgotten (74e). Replaced by Teddy AGAIN (85e).
