Tops
The Reims doorman produced an almost perfect performance. In the first act, he won his duels against the Lille attackers who tried their chances from afar failing to enter the area. Yehvann Diouf allowed his team to stay level with Lille and even stood out with point-blank reflex saves against Jonathan David before losing to the latter following an error from his central defender. On the pass, he was precise (35/42) to allow his team to get back on track quickly.
For his 400th appearance on Ligue 1 pitches, the French midfielder was once again invaluable. Not stingy with his efforts, Benjamin André often came down to help his block, overwhelmed by the Reims offensives. He brought combativeness to the midfield, never hesitating to enter a duel at full speed or to throw himself to recover a ball. He caused mistakes which led to yellow cards for the Rémois. The only downside to his performance was the number of lost balls (16) which could have cost his team dearly. Fortunately, he caught himself well behind and came back down to correct his mistake.
Flops
The Japanese took a long time to find his bearings in this stadium which he knows well. Junya Ito lacked precision in his crosses (1/6) but not only that. He who is used to igniting matches with his dribbling, he also lacked percussion. Too often stuck to his line, he did not dare to pick up the ball and then throw himself. He lost too many balls (20) which allowed Lille to quickly get behind. Even if he came back on some actions, the Japanese clearly did not carry enough weight in this meeting.
The Moroccan defender was missed at the worst of times. While he had a decent match up to that point, Yunis Abdelhamid missed the crucial pass. On a throw-back under pressure from Jonathan David, the Reims captain does not press his pass enough and the Canadian scores a fatal goal (0-1). Behind, he tried to catch up as best he could but was in pain faced with the speed of Zhegrova behind him. He also lost a significant number of balls (14) and missed his two tackles attempted in this meeting. This error from the Moroccan – at the end of his contract – could leave bad memories with supporters if his team fails to secure European places at the end of the season.