This Tuesday, OGC Nice traveled to Bastia as part of the French Cup round of 32. Without shining, the Nice team painfully secured their qualification (1-0).
The return of a historic rivalry! For the second time in their French Cup journey, OGC Nice returned to the Armand-Cesari Stadium to face SC Bastia, after having eliminated US Corte in the previous round. A derby match for the Gym, facing Bastia for the first time since 2017. An undoubtedly hostile atmosphere awaited Franck Haise’s men throughout this encounter.
Regarding the lineup, the Riviera coach made several changes to his starting eleven. Antoine Mendy, Mohamed Abdelmonem, and Youssoufa Moukoko were brought back for this cup match. Having been heavily relied upon in recent months, Sofiane Diop and Gaëtan Laborde started on the bench. Lastly, the in-form Eagle at the moment, Evann Guessand, was indeed present at the kickoff of the game.
The Nice team held back
While the Gym initially took control of the ball, it was Bastia that had the first opportunity. Christophe Vincent forced Maxime Dupé to make a save. Aggressive, the Corsicans didn’t want to let their chance slip by. The Ligue 2 tenants looked dangerous on every set piece particularly.
Uninspired, Melvin Bard’s teammates didn’t create much in this first half. In a slow-paced rhythm, the Eagles even conceded a penalty just before halftime. But Maxime Dupé, diving the right way, blocked the opponent’s attempt. Phew, the Gym could take a deep breath! They needed to perform better after the break to secure this qualification to the round of 16.
Improvement after the break
The Eagles responded upon returning from the locker room. Well found by Badredine Bouanani, Youssoufa Moukoko ran into the opposing goalkeeper. OGC Nice opened the score just after the hour mark (1-0). Following an excellent collective move, Evann Guessand delivered a perfect cross to Mohamed-Ali Cho. Alone at the far post, the winger only had to tap the ball into the net. The Gym finally took the lead!
Thereafter, the Nice team calmly handled the end of the match. Solid in his goal, Maxime Dupé was barely called upon in this second half. Franck Haise’s players even pushed in the final minutes to definitively secure victory in this encounter. Despite a final scare from Bastia, the score remained unchanged. OGC Nice won this derby (1-0), thus securing their ticket to the next round. Like last season, the Gym will meet the challenge in the French Cup’s round of 16.
Next game on Friday, January 17th, for OGC Nice. The Eagles will go up against Lille as part of the 18th day of Ligue 1. Kickoff is at 9 PM.