Unable to find the net against the bottom team in Ligue 1, the Eagles leave with a draw and the satisfaction of having once again kept their goal intact.
Boasting the best ongoing series in Ligue 1 alongside an unparalleled PSG (12 points from the last 4 matches), the Gym visited the bottom-placed team with confidence (4 victories in 4 years on Guingamp soil) but also caution against an injured team that recently recalled Jocelyn Gourvennec, the coach who led them to the European Cup. After the convincing victory against Lille last weekend, Patrick Vieira kept his unchanged 5-3-2 formation and retained ten of the eleven starters, with talisman Christophe Jallet having been injured in training this week.
To be straightforward, the goalless draw that sanctioned this Saturday evening’s encounter at Roudourou is quite logical. With two shots on target for the home team and one for the Gym, neither team managed to excite the match. Only one shot on target was noted in the first half, courtesy of Marcus Thuram at the half-hour mark, which found an excellent Walter Benitez on its way, performing a reflex save against Guingamp’s top scorer, served from the left (33rd minute). In the early seconds of the match, Mario Balotelli had ignited an initial effort, narrowly missing (2nd minute).
But what was initially perceived as a promising prelude turned out to be the only real opportunity for the Eagles in the first 45 minutes. Not really threatened but hampered by the hosts’ four-man midfield, Patrick Vieira’s team failed to maintain high possession. After regaining control, few opportunities arose, and Nice’s forwards were not readily available. Fortunately, in defense, captain Dante was once again impenetrable, controlling a launched Thuram (13th minute) or blocking a Ngbakoto shot (17th minute).
Patrick Vieira attempted to make adjustments at halftime by replacing Saint-Maximin with Ganago, and then quickly in the second half with Makengo subbing in for Tameze (56th minute). Nice played slightly higher without posing a real threat to the opposing goal. Nice’s first (only) shot on target of the game was from Balotelli, on a direct free kick, but it posed no problem for Johnsson (74th minute). It took until the last ten minutes for the Red and Black to create two real opportunities.
The two substitutes, Ganago and Makengo, combined, but the latter’s right-footed volley from a lob by the former went over the bar (80th minute). Two minutes later, Boscagli, launched deep by Sarr, missed his lob over Johnsson, who was well off his line (82nd minute). The Gym had slightly taken control of the match but could have found themselves in trouble during stoppage time if not for another reflex save from Benitez on a Cheick Traoré header (90+1). This save marks Benitez’s 24th consecutive save and extends his invincibility in Ligue 1 to 498 minutes.
This twenty-fourth point allows the Eagles to consolidate their place in the top third of the standings, at the beginning of a busy week that will see them host Angers (Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Allianz Riviera) before a trip to the Principality for the derby (Friday at 8:45 p.m.).
THE STAT: 5
The Gym has kept a clean sheet in their last 5 Ligue 1 matches, a first for the Eagles in a single top-tier season since February-April 1959 (also 5). (Opta)
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“We have to remember that we are coming home with a point and really nothing more. Guingamp had chances to score, they needed points, and they may feel disappointed not to win. For us it’s disappointing because we didn’t produce enough play, although defensively we were solid. Overall there was a lot of waste offensively. We saw again tonight that we lack presence in the box, but it is my role as a coach to find solutions to improve that. I tried quicker changes, but it didn’t work tonight.”
DANTE’S REACTION
“It is always difficult to play against the bottom team because they are very united and compact. We wanted to win, but we bring back a point. We must continue to be solid at the back but also offer more play going forward. We lacked intensity in our actions, our passes. We are doing well, but there are still things to focus on.”
