Reims vs Cercle Brugge

Cercle Brugge never truly threatened after falling two goals behind inside 25 minutes. Reims' early control — established by Tia's 11th-minute opener and reinforced by Kashi's finish before the half-hour mark — effectively removed any suspense. The Belgian side, managed by Lars Friis, managed only sporadic forays forward and failed to test Reims goalkeeper Tom Ritzy Hülsmann meaningfully.

Usaï's decision to rotate gradually rather than wholesale at the break kept Reims' structure intact, allowing Sylla to make an impact off the bench.

Ange Martial Tia — The Mali prospect opened the scoring with a well-taken 11th-minute strike and looked lively throughout his first-half shift before being substituted at the interval.

Amine Kashi — Continues to impress as one of the standout performers of Reims' pre-season. His 24th-minute goal confirmed his growing influence in the final third.

Lenny Sylla — Introduced at half-time, the youngster made the strongest case for more minutes with a clinical 79th-minute finish after intercepting a loose Cercle Brugge pass.

Tom Ritzy Hülsmann — The Reims goalkeeper had a relatively quiet afternoon but commanded his area well when called upon to claim crosses.

The 3-0 scoreline (2-0 at half-time) tells a story of control rather than chaos. Reims' early goals allowed them to manage the tempo through the second half, rotating personnel and preserving energy in a standard pre-season pattern. Cercle Brugge offered little in response — the shot count and territory were heavily one-sided in Reims' favour, though friendly match statistics should be read with the caveat that both sides made liberal use of substitutions.

This was Reims' fifth and penultimate pre-season outing before the start of the Ligue 2 campaign. The Ligue 2 side — now managed by Nicolas Usaï after their relegation from Ligue 1 — have one more friendly scheduled: away to Kortrijk in Belgium next Saturday, 1 August 2026.

Cercle Brugge, who finished mid-table in the Belgian Pro League last season, continue their own pre-season build-up. The result carries no competitive consequence but serves as a useful fitness marker.

A professional, untroubled pre-season win for Reims, who controlled the game from the first goal and never looked back. The emerging trio of Tia, Kashi and Sylla gives Usaï encouraging attacking options ahead of the Ligue 2 kick-off. Cercle Brugge will take more from the minutes logged than the final scoreline.