Stade de Reims lost for the first time this season in Ligue 2 at Grenoble (3-2). Samuel Kotto is singled out by L’Ardennais, while Yaya Fofana’s brace was not enough.
Stade de Reims lost for the first time this season in Ligue 2, on Friday 6 November 2026, on the pitch at Grenoble (3-2). The defeat ends a run of four league matches without defeat, according to Camfoot.
In that match, two African internationals took centre stage in contrasting ways: Cameroon centre-back Samuel Kotto, named among the match’s “flops” by L’Ardennais, and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Fofana, scorer of a brace.
Kotto caught in the storm
The regional daily does not spare the Cameroon defender. On Grenoble’s second goal, scored in first-half stoppage time (45+2), Samuel Kotto “completely misses his intervention at the near post”, writes L’Ardennais, which links him with Mohamed Daramy in its analysis: “If we are still wondering why Mohamed Daramy let his Grenoble counterpart cross in comfortably, Samuel Kotto is not blameless either on Grenoble’s second goal, completely missing his intervention at the near post”.
The criticism does not stop there. Still according to the local press, the Reims player came off second best several times in duels, notably on the Isère side’s third goal. That weighs on his overall performance, which L’Ardennais says did “not breathe serenity”.
The national-team context adds another angle: according to Camfoot, Kotto was preferred in the Cameroon national team to Harold Moukoudi, who is playing in the Champions League with his club.
Fofana, a brace in vain
By contrast, Yaya Fofana led the Reims attack. The Ivory Coast midfielder scored in the 45th and then the 67th minute, a brace that did not prevent his side’s defeat.
The counts differ on his goal tally. L’Ardennais and the club’s official website refer to his 9th and 10th goals of the season in Ligue 2, while Foot Mercato speaks of his 10th and 11th goals. For the latter, the performance confirms his status as Reims’ best attacking asset.
Grenoble end their run, Reims fall
The result contrasts with the pre-match trends. Reims were unbeaten, with two wins and two draws in their last four Ligue 2 matches, according to Camfoot. Grenoble, for their part, had lost four consecutive league games, according to Camfoot and Foot Mercato.
Yaya Fofana, called up for the first time to the Ivory Coast national team by Hervé Renard, joins the squad for the matches against Gambia: Gambia – Ivory Coast on 12 November, then Ivory Coast – Gambia on 17 November. Stade de Reims will return to Ligue 2 action after the international break.