Derby night at the Allianz Riviera for this 9th day of the championship. OGC Nice hosted AS Monaco, the co-leader of Ligue 1, in a boiling stadium.
The clash between OGC Nice and AS Monaco lived up to its promises at the Allianz Riviera stadium. As co-leader of the championship, AS Monaco arrived with confidence, determined to impose their game.
From the kickoff, the Monégasques seized possession, leaving the Niçois to launch counter-attacks. Monaco thought they had taken the lead in the 22nd minute when Breel Embolo found the back of the net after a well-constructed move. But the visitors’ joy was short-lived. Takumi Minamino, in an offside position at the start of the play, was flagged by VAR, thus canceling the opening goal. The response from Nice was not long in coming. Launched deep, Jérémie Boga found himself one-on-one with the Monégasque goalkeeper. But Radoslaw Majecki intervened and deflected the shot (27th minute).
The Monégasques finally materialized their dominance just before the break. On a precise pass from Maghnes Akliouche, Breel Embolo got the better of Melvin Bard and fooled the Nice goalkeeper (39th minute). The Swiss international gave his team the lead (0-1). However, Adi Hutter’s men quickly lost this momentum. Just before half-time, Wilfried Singo committed an unnecessary foul on the right side of his box, giving Nice a dangerous free kick. From this free kick, Evan Guessand showed his precision to equalize with a beautiful header (45th minute). Monaco found themselves in a tight spot after the expulsion of Vanderson immediately afterwards, punished for a second yellow card (45th minute).
The OGCN takes the upper hand with a numerical advantage
The second half saw OGC Nice take control, exploiting their numerical advantage to settle in the Monégasque half. Evan Guessand came close to scoring again after a deep run. His shot was deflected by the Monégasque goalkeeper. A few moments later, Mohamed-Ali Cho forced the keeper into a spectacular double save. Despite the difficulties, Monaco almost regained the lead when a powerful shot from Lamine Camara hit the crossbar.
Nîce’s persistence paid off in the 70th minute. Following a poor clearance by Krepin Diatta who had just come onto the field, Gaëtan Laborde recovered the ball. Alone against the goalkeeper, he lobbed Radoslaw Majecki with a perfectly executed chip shot (2-1). Franck Haise’s successful coaching sank AS Monaco. Badredine Boudaoui, who also came on late in the match, nearly extended the lead at the end.
Ultimately, OGCN surprised everyone by toppling an uninspired Monaco for the first time this season. This victory allows the Niçois to edge closer to the European spots (8th). The next match for the Aiglons is next Saturday at Brest to confirm this fine success.
