The 24th day of Ligue 1 was marked by the victory of Strasbourg against Angers (2-1), thanks to a double from Habib Diallo. Hired to offer support to Racing, coach Frédéric Antonetti has taken care of his first on the Strasbourg bench, and will be able to be satisfied with the solid performance of his team.
Diallo, the man in form at the start of 2023 at La Meinau, once again showed his qualities in the area: his flash ball call at the near post (14th) then his precise header (42nd) were enough for the Alsatians to take off at the end of the first period, before the reduction of the score of Nabil Bentaleb on penalty (73rd).
The Senegalese had already scored twice in his stadium, on February 5 against Montpellier (2-0). He already has 12 goals in the top flight this season, which puts him close to the top 5 in the scoring charts for the French Championship.
After two consecutive draws, the SCO fell back into its ways and now seems condemned to relegation. Twentieth, the Angevins are eight points behind the 19th, Auxerre, who won Friday against Lyon (2-1) at the start of the 24th day. Racing is already much higher: with 21 points, Antonetti’s men are provisionally 15th, before the Sunday meetings of their three pursuers, Brest (16th, 20 pts), Troyes (17th, 19 pts) and Ajaccio (18th, 18 pts).
The fight for maintenance promises to be tight until the end, with four relegated at the end of this 2022-23 season.
Almost assured of maintenance, Nice and Reims were aiming for other objectives, earlier in the day on Saturday. At the Allianz Riviera, the two teams split the meeting in two: the first period smiled on the people of Nice, the second on the Rémois. But neither of the two teams managed to find the fault, as in the first leg. Even from the penalty spot, L1 top scorer Folarin Balogun stumbled on Nice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (55th).
In this clash between fashionable coaches (Didier Digard and Will Still), series have nevertheless been continued: Reims chained a 16th meeting without defeat in L1, while the Gym remains on five wins and two draws since the arrival of Digard the controls.
“All points count. But the locker room was very disappointed at the end of the match. So I am happy. This proves to me that mentally, we are going through levels, “said the Nice coach. With 38 points, Nice remain seventh heading into Sunday’s matches, while Reims remain in 10th place.
But the standings could move on Sunday, with a busy day for the top of the table. Paris SG hopes to reassure itself against Lille (1 p.m.), before the trip from Monaco (3rd) to Brest (3 p.m.) and that of Marseille (2nd) to Toulouse (8:45 p.m.).
