Four-star Nice beat Brest

Nice enjoyed their first win of the Ligue 1 campaign, overcoming Brest 4-2 after a dominant second-half display.

Nice enjoyed their first win of the Ligue 1 campaign, overcoming Brest 4-2 after a dominant second-half display. A lacklustre first half was soon forgotten once the second period began, with Camel Meriem, Nemanja Pejcinovic, Eric Bautheac and Valentin Eysseric all finding the target for the home side. Jonathan Ayite and Paul Baysse replied for Brest but the damage had already been done by that stage. It was very much a game of two halves at the Municipal du Ray. Nice failed to get going at all in the opening 45 minutes while Brest fared little better as Geoffrey Dernis and Kamel Chafni blazed over before Eden Ben Basat put an effort wide. However, Nice looked a different side after the interval and were in front within a minute of the restart. Thimothee Kolodzieczak played a neat pass through to Meriem, who hit a powerful 25-yard drive into the top of the net. Another goal then followed four minutes later with Bautheac's cross headed home by Pejcinovic. Nice were in full flow now and made it 3-0 after 67 minutes. Eysseric raced down the wing before whipping the ball into Bautheac, who provided the finish with a low shot. Brest seemed shell-shocked by their opponent's turnaround, but were gifted a route back into the match when a Kolodzieczak handball allowed Ayite the chance to put away a penalty after 77 minutes. Nice had not finished yet though, and Eysseric put the result to bed in the final minute with a sublime volley from Kolodzieczak's cross. Brest scored a late consolation in stoppage time through Baysse, who poked home from close range following a goalmouth scramble, but the plaudits had already gone to Nice.