This Friday evening, OGC Nice hosted AJ Auxerre for the opening of the 26th day of Ligue 1. Delivering an average performance, Gaëtan Laborde’s teammates conceded a draw in the final minutes (1-1).
The Eagles wanted to bounce back! Five days after the loss to OL (0-2), OGC Nice followed up with a second consecutive home game at the Allianz Riviera. Under pressure in the standings, the Nice team needed to win to maintain their spot on the Ligue 1 podium. Before facing AJ Auxerre this Friday night, Pablo Rosario’s teammates were just two points ahead of their direct pursuers, AS Monaco and LOSC.
For this match, Franck Haise made two changes in his starting eleven. Suspended, Jonathan Clauss gave his place to Tom Louchet. Up front, Sofiane Diop was preferred to Mohamed-Ali Cho to accompany Gaëtan Laborde and Evann Guessand.
OGC Nice purrs along
It can’t be said that we witnessed a great show in the first half-hour. Facing a low and compact block, the Eagles were struggling. The rare attempts from Nice were off target, like this shot from Baptiste Santamaria, which found the outer side netting of the opposing goal.
The solution finally came from a set piece. At the near post, Gaetan Laborde extended Tom Louchet’s corner to Evann Guessand. The scorer’s header, deflected by a defender, was out of reach of AJA’s goalkeeper, Donovan Léon. Without being spectacular, the Gym opened the scoring in this match (1-0, 38′).
The Gym punished
OGC Nice pushed to extend their lead. But the Eagles were critically lacking in efficiency in the final action. Facing an entirely open goal, Hicham Boudaoui could not connect with Melvin Bard’s cross. An incredible miss by the Algerian international! The red and black chances multiplied, as did the missed opportunities.
But the Gym failed to widen the gap and left their opponent with a chance in the match. Worse still, Melvin Bard received a red card, forcing the Eagles to end the game with ten men. By not securing their lead, the Gym quickly regretted it. Strangely alone in the box, Ayé had all the time in the world to adjust Marcin Bulka. In the dying moments, AJ Auxerre equalized (1-1, 90+4). Five days after the defeat against OL, OGC Nice again let crucial points slip in the race for Europe. Franck Haise’s men missed the chance to catch up to OM, in second place.
Due to the international break, the Eagles will return on Saturday, March 29. On this occasion, OGC Nice will travel to face their Monaco neighbors for a highly important derby in the race for European spots. The match will kick off at 21:00.