Reims beats Saint-Etienne for 1st time in 40 years
PARIS (AP) — Reims beat Saint-Etienne for the first time in more than 40 years in the French league to extend its unbeaten run to four matches on Sunday.
Reims enjoyed its first victory over the 10-time champion in 16 league matches since a 3-2 win in 1976.
Remi Oudin, Boulaye Dia and Moussa Doumbia were on target for the hosts while Romain Hamouma scored for Saint-Etienne.
The victory lifted Reims within one point of Saint-Etienne in the standings.
Oudin, who scored 10 goals for Reims last season, put the hosts in front after 10 minutes but his acrobatic effort was canceled out by Hamouma’s strike in the 59th.
Dia scored his second goal in as many matches to restore Reims’ lead and Doumbia made it 3-1 with a powerful strike in stoppage time.
NANTES BACK IN THE MIX
Ludovic Blas scored in the 73rd minute as Nantes moved within two points of the top three with a 1-0 victory against Dijon.
Blas joined from relegated Guingamp during the summer and has quickly fitted in with his teammates.
Nantes is in sixth place — 13 points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain — and back in contention for the European spots.
