Nantes take Brest's place in the bottom four after losing 2-0 to relegation rivals
After displaying their knockout prowess in reaching the final of the Coupe de France for the second consecutive season, Nantes capitulated on the big stage, going four goals behind in 31 minutes last Saturday. Antoine Kombouare must now divert attention to their woes in the league, with them going nine games without a win prior to this evening's fixture.
Things went from bad to worse midway through the first half against Brest as goalkeeper Alban Lafont gifted the home side the lead. It should have been a routine clearance for the skipper, following an innocuous punt upfield, but comically he kicked thin air leaving Jeremy Le Douaron to roll the ball into an empty net.
Les Canaris' defence may cost them their Ligue 1 status, having conceded at least two goals in each of their last four. That run was to continue when Les Pirates doubled their lead before half-time, this time with Le Douaron turning the provider.
He picked up the ball wide on the right, before delivering an inch-perfect cross which only required the faintest of flicks from Mathias Pereira to divert it beyond a flailing Lafont.
Given the magnitude of the game, Kombouare wasted no time in changing his attacking options at the break, introducing Ludovic Blas who was bizarrely left on the bench after three goals in his last five matches. He almost gave Nantes a lifeline, cutting inside and unleashing a fine effort across goal, forcing Marco Bizot into a fine save.
Les Pirates saw out the thin vein of pressure to record their first clean sheet in this fixture since 1991, jumping up to 14th place in the process. Nantes must now shake themselves off again, with another crunch tie against relegation-threatened Strasbourg, one of the four sides separated by just three points, next.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Jeremy Le Douaron (Brest)