Imperious and dominant, the Eaglets achieved a fine victory with courage in Metz (2-4), thanks notably to a hat-trick by Alassane Pléa. They strengthen their position as league leaders and are increasingly establishing themselves as serious contenders for the top spots.
We haven’t finished hearing about the depth of the Nice bench. Even without Baysse, Dalbert, and Mario Balotelli, coach Lucien Favre managed to put together a competitive and solid team. The 3-5-2 is out, and in comes a more traditional 4-2-3-1. Dante and Sarr take the center, Ricardo and Souquet the sides. In the midfield, Walter and Seri support Eysseric, Belhanda, and Cyprien. Finally, Alassane Pléa takes the lead in attack alone.
And like in Nancy two weeks ago or in Salzburg on Thursday, he holds the keys to Nice’s offensive play. Once again, a run behind the defense (and a wonderful pass from Seri) surprises the defense, allowing him to deceive Didillon, the Metz goalkeeper (0-1, 12th minute).
Hardly two minutes later, Cyprien almost increases the score with a powerful shot hitting the crossbar (14th minute). It’s the same Cyprien who forces Didillon into a reflex save in the 21st minute.
But as all teams have room for improvement, Nice is no exception, and in the 25th minute, Yoan Cardinale, so imperious since the start of the season, spills a shot from Mevlut Erding into the path of Mandjeck, who only has to score (1-1, 25th minute).
Nice doesn’t back down and goes forward again, and about ten minutes after Metz equalized, Younès Belhanda is tackled by Rivierez and earns a penalty. Alassane Pléa takes care of it and Nice go back in front just before halftime (1-2, 38th minute), then leads at halftime.
A Gala Pléa
As usual, Nice manages and controls their advantage. But the Nice defense occasionally appears shaky, and Habib Diallo takes advantage, 20 seconds after coming on. For his first ball, he benefits from a headed deflection from Erding to beat Yoan Cardinale (2-2, 69th minute).
Dazed but not collapsed, the Nice team regroups. Cyprien sees his free-kick stopped by Didillon (76th minute) and Pléa misses his one-on-one with the Metz goalkeeper (82nd minute). But a minute later, served this time by Belhanda, Pléa seizes his opportunity and completes his hat-trick (2-3, 83rd minute). The Gym keeps combining talent and luck. And it’s working.
In stoppage time, Wylan Cyprien will have the luxury of adding a fourth goal (2-4, 90+2nd minute) with a powerful shot after being set up by Rémi Walter. It’s already his third (2 in Ligue 1 and one in the European Cup), but certainly not his last.
In the standings, the Gym consolidates its position as leader by benefiting from the draw between PSG and OM. Nice therefore has a six-point lead over PSG and four over Monaco. It is therefore assured, regardless of the next match against Nantes on Sunday (3 pm), of spending another week at the top of Ligue 1. Beware, the supporters might really start to enjoy it.
The stat: 1
The number of… fouls committed by Lucien Favre’s men. A rare statistic but revealing of the mindset the Swiss coach has instilled in his players.
Lucien Favre’s reaction:
“It’s deserved even though it was very hard. We played well. We lost too many dangerous balls but we produced good football and disrupted the opponent well. We were pegged back twice, but we had to keep attacking to score the third goal and that’s what we did. The players’ reaction was very good after the 2-2. We are very happy to still be unbeaten but we have to keep working. We don’t make predictions, we focus on the work of the week and on the next match against FC Nantes. Alassane Pléa has extraordinary potential to develop, but there is still work to be done.”
Alassane Pléa’s reaction:
“It’s a nice victory. It was a very complicated match. That’s three points earned, it’s good, it was a difficult away game. We are gaining momentum. When Metz equalized, we wanted to go for the victory, to attack. We don’t give up. Being a leader? It’s pleasant, but more importantly, we’re collecting points quickly.”
Arnaud Souquet’s reaction:
“The group is doing very well, everyone gets along, and we have to keep it that way. The only thing we tell ourselves is that we have to keep working and winning our matches. The rest, we’ll see. Pléa’s hat-trick? Not bad, right? We’re super happy for him. In the locker room, we teased him a bit and, above all, congratulated him. This victory, we dedicate to our supporters, with whom we would have loved to celebrate tonight. We hope to do so in the next home match against Nantes.”
