Winless from their opening two Ligue 1 matches, Reims began proceedings at the Stade de la Meinau much the better side, but wastefulness in front of goal would cost the visitors. Arsenal loanee Balogun came close with a free-kick from the edge of the box, but his effort was palmed away by goalkeeper Matz Sels. On a busy afternoon for the Strasbourg shot-stopper, the 30-year-old would once again be called into action, with Junya Ito’s poked effort thwarted from close-range. 

When it appeared both sides would enter the break on level terms, the hosts popped up with an undeserved opener on the brink of HT. In a move straight from the training ground, Adrien Thomasson’s front-post flick fell into the path of an unmarked Alexander Djiku, with the defender simply tapping home into an empty net.

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Reims had dominated the first half to no avail, with the early periods of the second half following a similar pattern. Causing problems to the Strasbourg defence during the opening 45 minutes, Ito would once again be presented with a sight of goal, but the 29-year-old’s diving header was comfortably stopped by goalkeeper Sels. 

With the game slipping away, Reims boss Óscar García turned to his bench for a source of inspiration, with Alexis Flips providing just that. The substitute’s cutback found Balogun lurking at the back-post, where the 21-year-old forward squeezed home a much-deserved equaliser. While they remain winless, Reims will be relieved to have at least one point on the board after their first trio of Ligue 1 matches. 

Flashscore Man of the Match: Junya Ito (Stade Reims)