- Balogun misses key penalty
- Reims boss backs striker
- Ligue 1's top scorer with 15 this season
WHAT HAPPENED? Balogun stepped up to the spot in the 55th minute of Reims' meeting at Nice with the score level at 0-0, but saw his penalty saved by Nice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. As a result of the missed penalty, Reims were forced to settle for just one point as neither side could find a breakthrough.
After the match, Still was quick to offer kind words for Balogun, who remains the league's top scorer with 15 goals this season.
WHAT THEY SAID:"He's very disappointed," Still said after the match. "Very, very disappointed, but it happens, and I told him at the end of the match that It's not the end of the world.
"The best players in the world, be it Zinedine Zidane or Thierry Henry have missed a penalty at some point. It's part of football.
"It's a detail and one that we'll try to correct. He's the first to recognize that, and he expects a lot of himself, and he wants to score goals. But it's nothing too serious."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The missed penalty was one of few low moments for Balogun this season as the striker has emerged as Ligue 1's breakout star.
Balogun is on loan with Reims through the end of the season, at which point Arsenal will need to make a difficult decision regarding his club future. Internationally, meanwhile, Balogun will face a tough choice of his own as he remains eligible for England, Nigeria and the U.S. men's national team.
IN ONE PHOTO:
Schmeichel denies Balogun from the spot.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REIMS? Reims, who currently sit 10th in Ligue 1, will be back in action next Sunday against Toulouse, who sit just behind them in 11th.