Nice 5-2 Rennes: Wahi signs off a statement night at the Allianz Riviera
Nice beat Rennes 5-2 on Friday night in Ligue 1, and the table now looks different because of it. O. Pantaloni’s side did not just take three points from a team occupying a Champions League league-stage place; they dragged themselves fully into the European conversation.
Sepe Elye Wahi was the player Rennes never managed to control: three goals, one assist, six shots, four on target, and the match taken away from F. Haise’s team in stages. Nice had only 47% possession, fewer passes and fewer total shots than Rennes, but they had the sharper edge, the better timing, and the forward who decided the night.
Rennes remain third on 16 points after nine matches, but their form now reads LWLWL and the away numbers are becoming a problem: one win and three defeats from four away games, with 14 goals conceded. Nice move to 14 points, seventh, unbeaten at home after five matches, and now only two points behind Rennes.
How the game turned
Nice started in a 3-4-2-1 under O. Pantaloni, with Y. Diouf in goal behind Mohamed Abdelmonem, Y. Ndayishimiye and X. Mandza Tsiendi. J. Clauss and N. Nkounkou worked the flanks, D. Coulibaly and H. Boudaoui formed the midfield base, and S. Diop and M. Amoura played off E. Wahi.
Rennes, coached by F. Haise, matched them with a 3-5-2: N. Lemaître in goal, A. Ait Boudlal, C. Cresswell and A. Rouault in defence, P. Frankowski and M. Nagida wide, S. Szymański, V. Rongier and A. Thomasson through midfield, with B. Dia and Mousa Tamari up front.
The first swing came in the 12th minute, when Sepe Elye Wahi scored from the penalty spot. Rennes responded quickly and cleanly. Sebastian Szymański equalised in the 15th minute, assisted by Mahamadou Nagida, a reminder that Rennes had enough quality between the lines to hurt Nice if the game became stretched.
But Nice kept finding the moments that mattered. Wahi scored another penalty in the 34th minute, and the match shifted hard in first-half stoppage time. Jonathan Clauss scored in the 45+2 minute, assisted by Wahi, making it 3-1 and forcing Haise into immediate changes.
At half-time, Rennes made two substitutions: Bryan Reynolds came on for Przemysław Frankowski, and Mahdi Camara replaced Adrien Thomasson. It was an admission that the original structure had not given Rennes enough control where Nice were most dangerous.
It did not stop the damage.
Mohamed Amoura scored in the 52nd minute, assisted by Sofiane Diop, and Nice had the margin their counter-punching deserved. Rennes were not dead: Boulaye Dia scored a penalty in the 58th minute. But the response never became a comeback.
The final lock came from the bench. Gauthier Hein replaced Sofiane Diop in the 68th minute and, five minutes later, assisted Wahi for Nice’s fifth in the 73rd minute. That was the game: one substitute adding fresh legs and one forward completing the night.
Wahi was the difference, but not the only one
Wahi’s hat-trick will take the headlines, rightly. He scored penalties in the 12th minute and 34th minute, then added a normal goal in the 73rd minute, assisted by Gauthier Hein. He also set up Clauss in the 45+2 minute. That is direct involvement in four of Nice’s five goals.
But Nice were not just Wahi plus ten.
Clauss gave them width, timing and end product. His goal before half-time mattered because it changed the tone of the interval. At 2-1, Rennes could reset. At 3-1, Haise had to chase.
Diop mattered too. His assist for Amoura in the 52nd minute came at the point when Rennes needed a calm opening to the second half. Instead, Nice extended the gap. Diop also produced three key passes before being withdrawn in the 68th minute.
Amoura gave Nice aggression around Wahi. He scored in the 52nd minute, won nine of 11 duels, and kept Rennes’ back three under pressure. His yellow card in the 88th minute for not retreating was one of the late signs of a match that had already become frayed.
Y. Diouf should not be lost in a 5-2 scoreline either. Rennes had nine shots on goal and Diouf made seven saves. That is why this was not a wild 5-5 match. Nice finished their work; Diouf kept the door shut often enough.
Rennes had possession, but Nice had control of the damage
The strange thing is that Rennes were not passive. They had 53% possession, 469 total passes, 18 shots, 14 shots inside the box and 2.67 expected goals. Szymański was excellent in defeat: one goal, six key passes, 40 passes, and constant involvement.
Nagida also had influence, assisting Szymański in the 15th minute and finishing with three shots on target. Dia scored from the penalty spot in the 58th minute and offered Rennes a route back. Mousa Tamari won seven of eight duels and completed three dribbles before Eliezer Mayenda replaced him in the 74th minute.
The issue was not lack of activity. It was exposure. Rennes’ 3-5-2 produced volume, but Nice’s 3-4-2-1 produced better leverage in the decisive zones. When the game turned, Rennes looked like a team chasing a match Nice had already tilted in their favour.
Anthony Rouault was booked in the 61st minute for a foul. Wahi followed with a yellow card in the 62nd minute for argument. By the 84th minute, the tension spilled again: Charlie Cresswell, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Mahdi Camara and Youssouf Ndayishimiye were all booked for argument. There were no red cards, but the discipline told its own story.
Match statistics
| Stat | Nice | Rennes |
|---|---|---|
| Expected goals | 3.52 | 2.67 |
| Possession | 47% | 53% |
| Total shots | 17 | 18 |
| Shots on goal | 8 | 9 |
| Shots inside box | 10 | 14 |
| Shots outside box | 7 | 4 |
| Accurate passes | 352 | 401 |
| Total passes | 422 | 469 |
| Corners | 4 | 7 |
| Fouls | 8 | 10 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 7 | 3 |
Goals and key incidents
- 12th minute: Sepe Elye Wahi scored for Nice, penalty
- 15th minute: Sebastian Szymański scored for Rennes, assisted by Mahamadou Nagida
- 34th minute: Sepe Elye Wahi scored for Nice, penalty
- 45+2 minute: Jonathan Clauss scored for Nice, assisted by Sepe Elye Wahi
- 52nd minute: Mohamed Amoura scored for Nice, assisted by Sofiane Diop
- 58th minute: Boulaye Dia scored for Rennes, penalty
- 61st minute: Anthony Rouault booked
- 62nd minute: Sepe Elye Wahi booked
- 68th minute: Djaoui Cissé replaced Valentin Rongier for Rennes
- 68th minute: Issa Soumaré replaced Boulaye Dia for Rennes
- 68th minute: Gauthier Hein replaced Sofiane Diop for Nice
- 73rd minute: Sepe Elye Wahi scored for Nice, assisted by Gauthier Hein
- 74th minute: Eliezer Mayenda replaced Mousa Tamari for Rennes
- 74th minute: Morgan Sanson replaced Djibril Coulibaly for Nice
- 84th minute: Charlie Cresswell, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Mahdi Camara and Youssouf Ndayishimiye booked
- 85th minute: Hamza Koutoune replaced Jonathan Clauss for Nice
- 85th minute: Nathan Ngoumou replaced Sepe Elye Wahi for Nice
- 88th minute: Mohamed Amoura booked
What it means
Nice are now seventh with 14 points from nine matches, level on points with Lyon and Paris FC, and only one point behind Monaco, who have a game in hand. That makes the upcoming European-place shuffle even more relevant, especially with Paris FC vs Monaco directly affecting the pack above Nice.
For Rennes, third place is still theirs, but the warning is clear. They have scored 20 in nine league matches, yet conceded 19. That is not a Champions League rhythm unless Haise fixes the away structure fast.
Nice, meanwhile, have won four of their last five league games. Wahi has given Pantaloni the headline, but the bigger message is collective: at home, Nice are becoming difficult to move. The next proposal is simple: keep this edge, and the European race is open.
