In a captivating Ligue 1 showdown, Nantes clinched only their second home win in 12 league games, triumphing 5-3 over Lorient. This victory came on the heels of their first win of the season against Clermont.
Despite Lorient’s barren run of over four hours without an away league goal, they burst into action early. Vincent Le Goff orchestrated a magnificent cross, finding the head of Eli Junior Kroupi, who calmly netted his first senior goal for the club just six minutes into the match.
However, the setback stirred Nantes to life, and they began to assert themselves as the first half progressed. With double the number of shots compared to their opponents, Nantes finally found the equalizer three minutes before halftime. Matthis Abline, benefiting from excellent wing play by Moses Simon, curled in his first goal of the season.
Nantes carried their momentum into the second half, taking the lead within the first minute as Eray Cömert headed home from a Florent Mollet corner. Lorient struggled defensively, with Laurent Abergel receiving a yellow card for a reckless challenge, leading to Mostafa Mohamed’s superb free-kick goal, his fifth in just six Ligue 1 matches.
The match entered a brief lull until the final 15 minutes, when Lorient pulled one back through Romain Faivre after a poor clearance by Nantes’ goalkeeper Rémy Descamps. Nantes then went on the offensive rampage, led by Simon, resulting in a goal for Mollet. The end-to-end spectacle continued, exemplified by Lorient’s goal as Aiyegun Tosin tapped in following a sweeping passing move.
With seven minutes of stoppage time added, reflecting the chaos of the final stages, Nantes held firm and even added to their lead with a last-minute penalty from Simon. Lorient’s quest for an away victory against Nantes since 2007 remained unfulfilled as the match ended in a thrilling 5-3 triumph for the hosts.
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