Moses Simon’s exceptional performance on match-day 23 of the French Premier League on Sunday earned him a spot in the Whoscored.com Ligue 1 Team of the Week.
Before taking against Lens at the Stade de la Beaujoire, the Nigerian international passed a last fitness test following a near-injury scare during training.
He then contributed significantly to Nantes’ 3-1 victory over Lens, which strengthened their bid to avoid the Ligue 1 basement.
Simon scored their second of the game from the penalty spot on the hour mark for his sixth of the campaign in 21 games while he also has seven assists.
Louis Leroux had opened the scoring for the hosts in the 36th minute, giving Nantes a deserved lead heading into the break.
Sunday’s triumph marked Nantes’ third home win of the season across all competitions. The result sees them climb one spot in the league standings, now sitting 14th with 24 points from 23 matches.
In a 4-3-3 formation, Simon occupies the left side of the attack, with OGC Nice forward Gaëtan Laborde playing centrally and AS Saint-Étienne’s Irvin Cardona deployed as a right winger.
The midfield consists of Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Hicham Boudaoui (OGC Nice) and Pierre Ekwah (Saint-Étienne).
RC Lens goalkeeper Mathew Ryan has been chosen in goal and protected by a back four comprising Aron Dønnum (Toulouse), Jubal (Auxerre), Clément Akpa (Auxerre) and Nicolas Pallois (Nantes).
The Nigerian winger was clinical with his only shot on target, converting from the penalty spot, while another attempt was blocked.
He showcased his dribbling prowess, completing four of his eight take-on, and was a key creative force with two key passes, one big chance created, and four successful crosses from seven attempts.
Simon was heavily involved in Nantes’ attacking play, recording 51 touches and completing 18 of his 20 passes with a 90 per cent accuracy rate.
Defensively, he contributed with one clearance and battled hard in duels, winning eight of 14 ground contests while drawing three fouls. Despite missing one big chance, his all-round display was crucial to Nantes’ victory.
He has 13 goals involvements (six goals, seven assists) in the French Ligue 1 so far this season.
