Steve Mounié was among the Brest goalscorers as the Breton club got 2021 off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory at home to out-of-sorts Nice, Monaco and Strasbourg both scored five while Rennes were held by Nantes on Raymond Domenech's dug-out debut.
THE MATCH
Nice made the 1500-kilometre (930 miles) trip to the western tip of Brittany looking to start 2021 with a bang, and started brightly without ever significantly troubling Gautier Larsonneur in the home goal.
That was the case for virtually the whole of the first half, bar an incredible incident when Larsonneur sliced a clearance off his own crossbar and a post, somehow escaping being forever remembered as the scorer of one of the game's all-time great own goals (36').
Perhaps the local-born goalkeeper was feeling generous as Nice mistakes had gifted Brest two goals already.
Walter Benitez had kept out Romain Faivre (14') and Irvin Cardona (20') before a more testing Faivre shot stretched the Argentine fully, and Steve Mounié snapped up the rebound for his fifth league goal of the season after Youcef Atal had handed the hosts possession in his own final third (23').
Jordan Lotomba was even more careless with a backpass just five minutes later — former Nice youth academy man Franck Honorat seized onto the ball and slid home the second (28').
Nice were better in the second half. An unmarked Amine Gouiri should have done better with a header (65') and the former Lyon man also forced Larsonneur into two saves (70', 75'), but Faivre, who was a serious menace throughout, came closest to adding to the scoreline with a curling shot just past the post (68').
THE PLAYER: Romain Faivre
The summer arrival from Monaco continues to impress in an attacking quartet that always looks likely to score. He works hard for the team too, tracking back when needed to bolster the defence.
THE STAT: 9
This was Brest's first top-flight win over Nice in nine years since a 1-0 triumph in January 2012.
Elsewhere, Strasbourg and Monaco ran riot, hitting five goals each. Monaco had lost their last three away games against newly promoted sides, and were twice pegged back after going in front at Lorient, but three goals in the last 22 minutes — including a strike from in-form Kevin Volland — secured Niko Kovac's men all three points. Ludovic Ajorque scored twice as Strasbourg ended a winless run of six home games with an emphatic defeat of Nîmes. Rennes risk losing ground on the top three as they were held to a goalless draw by Nantes, who earned new coach Raymond Domenech a point in his first game in charge, while Metz and Bordeaux also battled to a goalless stalemate.
