Ivorian attacking midfielder Yaya Fofana scored twice for Stade de Reims at Grenoble (3-2) on Friday 6 November, but could not prevent Reims’ first defeat of the season in Ligue 2.
Yaya Fofana may have found the net twice, but Stade de Reims left Grenoble beaten (3-2) on Friday 6 November, on matchday 12 of Ligue 2. The Ivorian attacking midfielder scored in the 45th and 67th minutes, but it was not enough to preserve Reims’ unbeaten record, L’ardennais reports.
According to Actucameroun.com, this is Stade de Reims’ first league defeat of the season, the Rémois having been unbeaten until now.
Ten goals in Ligue 2
The brace takes Yaya Fofana’s tally to ten goals in Ligue 2 this season, according to L’ardennais, which counts these as his 9th and 10th goals of the campaign.
The Football Insights statistical model, relayed by Florent Toniutti and cited by Butfootballclub.fr, arrives at the same total of ten goals, with three assists in twelve matches and a finishing rating of 70. These figures come from a model, not an official tally.
Lens, a short-lived spell
Yaya Fofana’s story in professional football did not begin at Reims. According to Butfootballclub.fr, the midfielder joined Lens in the summer of 2022 from the Afrique Football Élite academy, before leaving a year later without having established himself in the professional ranks.
An international break that empties the squad
The calendar gives Stade de Reims no respite. Nicolas Usaï, the Reims coach, had warned his players before the trip: it was “not an international break”, L’ardennais reports. Seven members of the squad have been called up by their national teams and will miss the Coupe de France entry.
Yaya Fofana is on Ivory Coast’s list for the double header against Gambia. Ivory Coast face Gambia on Thursday 12 November at 8pm, then Gambia on Tuesday 17 November at 5pm, in the CAN 2027 qualifiers.
Meanwhile, the Rémois, deprived of seven selected players, will travel to Tourcoing, a Régional 1 club, for their Coupe de France entry on Saturday 14 November at 2pm. The trip comes a week after the defeat at Grenoble.