Sharpshooter Balogun bags another as Reims rattle Monaco in Ligue 1
Having kept a clean sheet in each of their previous four Ligue 1 outings prior to this fixture, it was little surprise that Reims had once again kept the back door shut during a tightly-contested first half.
However, it wasn’t without a touch of fortune for the visitors, with Wissam Ben Yedder spurning two golden chances in quick succession for Monaco.
Firstly down to his own doing, as the striker’s hesitancy inside the penalty area gifted the Reims defence time to recover and make a challenge. Having evaded the efforts of the visitors’ backline a second time around, Ben Yedder would next be denied by the woodwork, with his delicate lob bouncing back off the post in an unfortunate fashion.
By far the better side throughout the first half, Monaco ought to have taken the lead before the break and their missed chances came back to haunt them midway through the second period.
Folarin Balogun, who has enjoyed a stellar season for Reims, broke in behind the hosts' backline, before squeezing a left-footed effort underneath Monaco shot-stopper Alexander Nübel.
In truth, it was a poor mistake from the goalkeeper, with Nubel getting a hand to the Balogun shot, but ultimately failing to pull off a save.
The Bayern Munich loanee would redeem himself late on in the contest, making a strong one-on-one save to this time deny Balogun from netting again, but it proved too little too late for Monaco, who were unable to snatch an equalising goal.
Frustration for Monaco boss Philippe Clement, whose side have now failed to win any of their last four competitive matches, while succumbing to consecutive defeats at home in the league for the first time since August.
Reims manager Still had challenged his players not to “set limits” on their potential league finish this season, with Les rouges et Blancs now up to eighth place in the table. A remarkable story, which at this point of the campaign shows little sign of slowing down.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Junya Ito (Stade de Reims)
