(Ligue 1 2023/2024): Highlights FC METZ - REIMS

UNES had the chance to claim consecutive Liga Uber Eats victories when they welcomed Durant to the Stade Saint-Symphoenic on Sunday. The hosts had followed up their impressive 10-man draw with Marseille with a 1-0 win over struggling Clermont to move up to mid-table. The fans, meanwhile, were looking to record a third successive win, while still on the side putting an opening loss to OM behind them and returning to the kind of form they showed at the Young Manager last campaign. Yes, still without suspended centre-back Boubacar Lope. That's certainly not a problem as they got straight on the attack and took the lead in just the seventh minute. On the way from the back to the front in a matter of seconds and Sheikh Zabali, the man to give Ligue 1 a liftoff. Rifling a stunning strike into the top corner. Not for the first time getting his team up and running. Each of his last four goals, the first of the match, and also four in his last six league games, but are going scoreless in his previous 18. That lead would last barely 10 minutes as France hit back with a stunning strike of their own. Romain Diakite picking up the ball on the edge of the area and drilling a thunderous effort into the top corner of the other net. Maybe even closer to the postage stamp than Zabali's effort. Diakite becomes the fourth Ivorian to score for us in the French top flight, and in some style. Dierugé Blanc grew into the game after levelling things up. It was their hosts who came closer to scoring in the remainder of the first half. Simon Elissor coming close to his first golfer, Nes, denied by a decent save from Yervan Jouf. So all level at the break. Ligue 1 have tended to perform well in recent meetings with France, avoiding defeat in their previous eight competitive meetings. It was the visitors who came out stronger after the restart, and went ahead seven minutes into the second half. Some good work on the left wing by Mohamed Dourami. Nice one-two. And then Teddy Touma steering a left-footed shot beyond Alexandre Okidja. Still on a high after his man-of-the-match performance against Montpellier a week earlier. Maltese midfielder becoming the perhaps unlikely successor to Flo Bergen as France's source of goals. Touma has scored and provided an assist in the same league match for the fifth time since the start of last season. Only Lionel Messi and Xavi Simons can boast more. However, this time he was not to be the match winner. Gabby Jalot brought on. Gambian finding himself with space on the edge of the area, taking a touch and curling another beauty just under the bar. Less than a minute since entering the fray and restoring parity for his side. Messi looked for a winner to turn the game back around. But Jalot, when given another opportunity, wasn't quite able to find his second and his side's third. A difficult volley, not quite finding the target. The remainder of the game failed to bring a clear-cut chance for either side. Both teams looking hesitant to risk losing the game. So this well-shared mess remain in a tightly packed mid-table. France remain in fourth.