LOSC-SdR: Nakamura on target as Reims break into top five

Nakamura‘s fellow new recruit Mohamed Daramy got the balling rolling early for Will Still’s side on their trip to Lille, bundling home from close range following a corner (12′), but it was the Japan international who made sure of all three points for the Champagne club when he capped a sweeping team move with a deft lob over Lucas chevalier (16′).

Still: ‘Shine within a collective’

Although Benjamin André pulled one back for the hosts late on (79′), Nakamura’s goal was enough to see Reims climb to fifth on Ligue 1 Uber Eats standings and that was more than good enough for Still, who is happy to see his club’s summer investments beginning to pay off.

“Not everything can be done in a few months or a few weeks,” said Still in his post-match press conference. “We know the qualities of each player that we’ve brought into the squad and, little by little and as the season progresses, we’re going to see these individuals shine within a collective that I hope will be increasingly competitive and strong. It’s true that for Keito, this will do him good. And Mo Daramy was quite promising in that position because he brings real depth to what we want to do, and overall it’s very positive.”

Reims’ next challenge comes at 13:00 on Sunday – when plenty of Japanese eyes should be trained on Reims’ star midfield pairing of Nakamura and Junya Ito – when Olympique Lyonnias come calling in Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 7.