Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - OGC Nice v Villarreal - St. James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - August 5, 2023 OGC Nice's Jeremie Boga in action Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough/File Photo
NICE (Reuters) - Jeremie Boga scored the winner as Nice moved back up to second in Ligue 1 after a 2-1 home win over Reims on Sunday.
Nice had dropped to third in the standings after Monaco's 2-1 win at Stade Rennes on Saturday, but are now on 32 points, two ahead of Monaco and four behind leaders Paris St Germain.
After suffering their first defeat of the season last weekend at Nantes, Nice bounced back but were made to suffer by Reims until Boga found the winner in the 82nd minute.
The breakthrough for Nice came in the 55th minute when a long ball was headed away by Yunis Abdelhamid but only as far as Gaetan Laborde who went on a solo run into the area before rifling his shot in off the underside of the crossbar.
Laborde had been wasteful in the opening half, especially in the 26th minute when he dispossessed Joseph Okumu in the Reims area but with just the goalkeeper to beat, he failed to keep his shot on target.
Nice had conceded just one goal at home this season, and Reims became the first visiting team to score since Lille on the opening day when Abdelhamid rose highest to meet a cross from Junya Ito and power his header home in the 78th minute.
Four minutes later, Boga made room for himself before hitting a low shot from the edge of the area which goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf should have saved but after getting a hand to the ball it wriggled over the line for the winner.
Reims remain in sixth place on 23 points.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
