FC Annecy suffered their first Ligue 2 defeat of the season on Monday night, losing 3-1 to Stade de Reims at the Stade Auguste-Delaune. Despite taking the lead through Matteo Veillon, two defensive errors in the second half turned the game on its head.
Annecy manager Laurent Guyot did not hide his disappointment after the final whistle. "We are disappointed because we had a good first half," he reacted. He then pinpointed the game's turning point. "When you give away the two goals... The psychological advantage changed sides and that put us in difficulty," Guyot stated, while refusing to directly blame the players involved. He added: "We had a solid first half, we scored, we were well organised. But these two individual errors in the second half cost us dearly."
The young forward Matteo Veillon had given the visitors the lead in the first period, scoring in the 32nd minute. That advantage did not last long after the break. Florian Escales scored an own goal in the 53rd minute, handing Reims the equaliser. The hosts then rode the momentum to score two more, through Chamsedin Kouranfal (64th) and Quentin Paris (68th), sealing a 3-1 victory.
Reaction required against Metz
This defeat comes after two wins to start the campaign, abruptly halting Annecy's positive momentum. The team must regroup quickly for the visit of FC Metz this Saturday at 2pm at the Parc des Sports. A win would be important to climb back up the standings before the international break. "We will analyse this, but we need to quickly turn the page because we host Metz on Saturday. It's an important match for us," insisted Guyot.
Meanwhile, Reims coach Nicolas Usaï was pleased with his team's reaction, especially after going behind. He praised a "very interesting" second half and the character of his players. "We knew how to be patient and we were rewarded. The reaction after conceding the goal was very good," said Usaï. For Annecy, the analysis is harsher. Guyot believes the overall performance, aside from the two fatal mistakes, was not disastrous. He is now counting on his group's experience to respond. "We have a group with experience, they know what needs to be done to get back on track," he concluded.
The immediate objective is clear: get back on track next Saturday and avoid a string of poor results.
