Author of a double in Reims Habib Diallo temporarily leaves Strasbourg from the red zone

The game: 2 – 0

Despite the victory against Ajaccio (3-1) last Sunday, the atmosphere has become suffocating in Strasbourg in recent weeks. By going to win in Reims on Sunday at the start of the afternoon (2-0), the Alsatians offered themselves a big breath of fresh air, in the intense race for maintenance. Before the afternoon matches, Strasbourg temporarily leaves the relegation zone (15th), at the expense of Brest (17th), which moves to Ajaccio (3 p.m.). Stopped for three weeks, Reims stagnates in 8th place and finds itself within reach of Nice and Lorient.

Habib Diallo didn’t want to hang around. Alerted in depth by Habib Diarra, the Senegalese international extended his partner’s cross with a header to open the scoring, after sixteen seconds of play. The third fastest goal of the season in Ligue 1, behind Kylian Mbappé at Lille (eight seconds), and himself against Montpellier (thirteen seconds).

After twenty minutes of observations, the two teams offered ten minutes of crazy intensity, where the desire to overthrow the opponent took precedence over any defensive solidity. Thus, Diallo (34th), perfectly launched by Diarra, responded to the two attempts of Folarin Balogun (28th). Without success. Frustrated, the Englishman initiated a new transition: after a favorable counter, Junya Ito, alone in the box, set Matz Sels’ goal, and shifted his striker, who, with a flat foot, equalized (36th ). But the Japanese was in an offside position at the start of the action. In the process, Diallo took advantage of excellent work from Diarra, hooking Busi, apathetic, and Agbadou, to score the second goal (37th).

On returning from the locker room, the Rémois tried to accelerate but broke their teeth on Strasbourg’s defensive solidarity, which ended a terrible series of sixteen straight matches by conceding at least one goal – only Troyes was doing worse. Selflessly, Perrin, on his line first, repelled the shot from Marshall Munetsi (62nd). Then, Sels achieved the feat to prevent the Champagne return (74th), ahead of Ito. Kamory Doumbia (89th) then Balogun could have reduced the gap but their shots grazed the amounts of Sels, unbeatable.

The player: Habib Diallo at full speed

The light came again from Habib Diallo on Sunday. In addition to his two precious achievements in the frantic race to maintain (1st, 37th), the ex-Messin weighed on the defense, however athletic, of Reims. In the air, the Senegalese international reigned, and initiated the second goal of the afternoon. On the ground, he was less visible, but his accuracy in the discounts benefited Habib Diarra, his most faithful soldier. He scored his 16th and 17th goals in Ligue 1 this season. His highest total in the elite.