OGC Nice brings back a point from the North after a 0-0 draw on Lille’s field. A match that could have swung in favor of the Niçois after a Lille player was sent off in the first half and if the referee had allowed Carlos Eduardo’s goal, incorrectly ruled offside. It’s the sixth consecutive undefeated match for the Gym.
You have to appreciate numbers and sometimes zeros when following OGC Nice. This makes it the third consecutive 0-0 draw after those against Metz and Nantes but also the sixth match in a row without a loss (3 wins and 3 draws). Glass half full, glass half empty. At the end of this 25th day, the Gym will be at worst 9th (if Guingamp wins) and has 34 points. This match at Lille will not be memorable but shows that the Aiglons are much more solid than in 2014.
The first ten minutes of the match are entirely in favor of the Niçois who monopolize the ball. Claude Puel’s men play high, press, and recover numerous balls. The Dogues (nickname for Lille players) can’t find their footing. The left side of the red and black, Amavi-Hult, is very active but always misses that crucial final move. It takes until the 12th minute to see an action from the Lille players, a shot by Nolan Roux that goes well over.
In the 15th minute, Mouez Hassen makes a decisive save on a 30m freekick from Sébastien Corchia. The first chance for Nice comes at the 22nd minute, a header from Alassane Plea without danger for the Lille goalkeeper. Only one shot in 30 minutes for the Niçois who have nonetheless taken possession of LOSC’s last twenty meters. At the end of the first half, the northern defender Djibril Sidibé commits a bad gesture on Carlos Eduardo and is directly sent off. Nice will thus play 11 against 10 for over 50 minutes. At halftime, the score remains a goalless 0-0.
Back from the locker room, the pace decreases even more. Gym’s in-form man, Valentin Eysseric, tries his luck but his shot is over the bar. If the Niçois concede few chances, it’s partly due to another high-quality performance from the duo Diawara-Genevois. Lille applies pressure for a short ten minutes but cannot breach Nice’s defense. Only Rony Lopes, with a header that goes wide, slightly threatens the Gym.
The match’s key moment arrives in the 75th minute when Nampalys Mendy advances 30 meters and passes deep to Carlos Eduardo who believes he scores his 8th goal. But the linesman raises his flag to signal an offside…which was incorrect. A week after having a goal disallowed against Nantes, the Brazilian is wrongly denied a goal that might have secured a win for Nice. Nothing significant happens until stoppage time when OGC Nice gets a scare. The young Sofiane Boufal gets past the Nice defenders but his shot grazes the crossbar. The two teams settle for a very modest 0-0.
Less than a week before the derby against Monaco (Friday at 8:30 PM), Nice continues its strong streak of six matches without defeat but sees its adversaries close in the rankings (Reims in 14th is just 3 points behind). In Ligue 1, in 2015, the Aiglons remain unbeaten!
Photo credits and more information at www.ogcnice.com
