Elye Wahi scored a hat-trick as OGC Nice beat Stade Rennais 5-2 in a seven-goal Ligue 1 thriller at the Allianz Riviera on Friday night, the Ivorian striker converting two penalties before sealing his treble from open play.
Three penalties and a breathless first half
Wahi opened the scoring from the spot in the 12th minute, but Rennes hit back almost immediately, Sebastian Szymanski heading in an equaliser three minutes later from Mahamadou Nagida's delivery.
The pattern repeated before the break. Wahi converted a second penalty in the 34th minute to restore the lead, and Jonathan Clauss made it 3-1 in first-half stoppage time, finishing from Wahi's assist to cap a half that never slowed down.
Amoura strikes, Dia answers, Wahi finishes it
Nice stretched away after the restart. Mohamed Amoura made it 4-1 in the 52nd minute, assisted by Sofiane Diop, and even when Boulaye Dia pulled one back from the penalty spot six minutes later — the third penalty of the night — Rennes never truly threatened a comeback. Nagida had a goal ruled out, and Wahi completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute, assisted by Gauthier Hein, to put the result beyond doubt.
The numbers underlined how open the game was: Rennes actually edged possession and shots on target, yet Nice were ruthless with the chances that mattered, as the full report on BeninWebTV sets out.
So what does it mean?
The win is Nice's second in a row in Ligue 1 and lifts Olivier Pantaloni's side temporarily up to seventh before the rest of the weekend's fixtures, on a night when fellow Friday winners PSG and Lille also made their moves at the top end of the table. For Rennes, leaking five goals is a defensive alarm bell ahead of the next round.
As the local account on Nice-Premium put it, this was an offensive festival from the Gym — and with Wahi in this form, Nice suddenly look like a side nobody will want to visit.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Wahi did not just win a football match, he announced himself. Two penalties taken with ice in his veins and a third goal to finish the job — that is a striker playing with total conviction. Nice have been searching for a focal point all season; on Friday night, they found one.
Can Wahi carry Nice into the European places, or was this a one-night explosion? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
