Recap: Brest Secured Win, Fend Off Strasbourg Comeback

It was all Brest in the first 45 minutes as the home side opened the scoring in the 12th minute after a VAR review awarded a penalty kick to Les Pirates, which Kenny Lala converted.

Brest thought they had doubled their lead in the 36th minute, but after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out, keeping the score at 1-0. Éric Roy and his team would score the second goal in the first half stoppage time courtesy of a strike from Mathias Pereira Lage.

The host squad went into halftime holding a 2-0 lead and coming out of the break, Brest had a chance to take an early 3-0 advantage. In the 52nd minute, Ludovic Ajorque stepped into the box to take a penalty kick, but the 30-year-old missed as Djordje Petrovic made the save.

Abdoul Ouattara cut Brest's lead to one goal after the 19-year-old scored in the 85th minute, but the comeback attempt was short-lived. Romain Del Castillo scored the insurance goal in the second half stoppage time to help Brest secure the win and all three points.

⏱ 20h57 : c'est fini ! Après une belle première mi-temps, le @SB29 a pioché en seconde période mais s'impose 3-1 face au @RCSA .#SB29RCSA 3⃣-1⃣ pic.twitter.com/GEtm9CRi1T
— Stade Brestois 29 (@SB29) November 30, 2024

Following the loss, Dilane Bakwa spoke about what went wrong for Strasbourg.

"We started the game well and had possession, but a key moment gave them the advantage, and we couldn’t bounce back from it. The first half was one of the toughest we’ve had this season. We improved in the second half and pushed higher up the pitch.

"At halftime, we told ourselves not to give up. Even with their third goal, we managed to respond. At 2-1, we still believed. If we didn't believe then, we would never believe again. We’re fully behind the coach. He supports us as young players. Now, we just need to get back to work and dig in."

The Stat: Strasbourg are a young team

All 11 of Brest's starters are older than Strasbourg's 11 starters, marking the first time this has happened in a Ligue 1 match since at least the 1947-48 season. Les Bleu et Blanc are relying on youth, but there are always lessons to be learned when working with young talents, and tonight's loss is one of them.