Folarin Balogun and Reims had a positive start to their game against Clermont, but a second-half red card saw them go down in defeat.
Reims 2-4 Clermont
A red card in the second half hurt Reims as they could not hold onto their lead in a frustrating defeat to Clermont at Stade Auguste-Delaune II.
Folarin Balogun had a fairly good game for the team, completing 73 percent of his passes, winning three duels, and earning a yellow card on top of his two shots on goal.
The hosts were gifted an opportunity to open the scoring when Bradley Locko was brought down in the area by Clermont’s Florent Ogier, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot for a penalty. Kamory Doumbia then stepped up to convert the spot-kick in the 23rd minute.
Reims was given another chance to double their lead from the spot when the referee judged that Yohann Magnin handled the ball in the area. It was then the Arsenal loanee’s turn to have a crack and he got his shot past the outstretched hands of Clermont goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
With a 2-0 lead going into the second half, the Red and Whites should have been feeling good about their chances of getting three points. However, things would change for the team in the 47th minute when Emmanuel Agbadou was shown a straight red card for a professional foul.
From that point on, Clermont punished their hosts for the infraction. Komnen Andric reduced the deficit in the 51st minute from the penalty spot following a handball in the area. The Serbian then leveled the score in the 62nd minute when he headed in a cross from Ogier.
The Lancers then took the lead in the 72nd minute when Muhammed Saracevic curled in a shot from the edge of the area. Jeremie Bela scored a goal in a similar fashion five minutes later to put the game out of reach for Reims.
The loss leaves Reims at the bottom of the standings with zero points. They will be looking to get things on track next weekend when they face Strasbourg.
Note
Erik Palmer-Brown went the distance for Troyes as they struggle out of the gate following a 3-0 loss to Toulouse.
