Stade de Reims were plunged deeper into the Ligue 1 relegation mire with a 1-0 home defeat to OGC Nice.
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Such is the desperation in the Champagne region that Reims opted to replace their coach—bright young thing Jean-Luc Vasseur—ahead of this weekend’s fixture, replacing him with former player Olivier Guegan.
The club’s directors were surely hoping for the same kind of lift that Toulouse enjoyed—albeit briefly—after replacing Alain Casanova with Dominique Arribage.
Early signs suggest, however, that the new man might struggle just as much as the former coach as Guegan’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat in front of their home fans.
Said Benrahma scored the only goal of the game when he headed home Eric Bautheac’s cross in the opening minutes of the match.
Reims remained only one goal behind throughout the match—even though they did require several last-gasp saves and blocks to stay in the game.
To Guegan’s despair, however, they were unable to find the equaliser they sought and dropped level on points with 18th-place Toulouse.
By contrast, victory has pulled Nice away from the drop zone and they have now moved up to tenth.