Schmeichel saves penalty as Nice draws with Reims

PARIS (AP) — Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty as Nice earned a goalless home draw against Reims in the French league on Saturday.

An intense matchup of in-form teams in the French Riviera city finished with Nice unable to post a fifth consecutive win and Reims unbeaten in 16 straight games.

Nice remained in seventh place, four points above Reims.

The host dominated the first half but created only half-chances as Reims defended well. Neither managed a single shot on target. Reims was the better team after the interval and Schmeichel had to stop an effort from the spot from league top scorer Folarin Balogun to produce a clean sheet.

Balogun, who has 15 goals, provoked a penalty in the 53rd minute after dribbling past Jean-Clair Todibo, who brought him down in the box. But Balogun was denied by Schmeichel. The forward tried again from the rebound but fluffed his shot as teammate Myziane Maolida also rushed toward the ball and both men got in the way.

For his first match in charge, coach Frederic Antonetti led struggling Strasbourg to a 2-1 win against last-placed Angers. Habib Diallo scored twice.

Antonetti, who had been without a club since leaving Metz last summer, was tasked with keeping Strasbourg in the top-flight. His players delivered a flawed but gritty display to move out of the relegation zone. Midfielder Morgan Sanson orchestrated matters with his new team after joining on loan from Aston Villa.

Diallo broke the deadlock in the 13th minute from Eduard Sobol's cross and doubled Strasbourg's lead four minutes before the break with a precise header out of Paul Bernadoni's reach.

Angers midfielder Nabil Bentaleb pulled one back from the spot in the 73rd, ensuring a suspenseful finale.

“We needed this win to move out of the red zone," Diallo said. “Although our new coach arrived less than a week ago, we worked hard for that."

Leader Paris Saint-Germain hosts Lille on Sunday, with second-placed Marseille traveling to Toulouse.

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