A shared point snatched after being behind in the scoreline, the Eagles did not lose everything except for the two points against a resilient Lorient team, which will not return to Brittany empty-handed. Fifth with 39 points on the board, Claude Puel’s men can now focus on Saturday’s trip to Bastia.
The match began in favor of the home team with Meriem quickly finding Maupay, and then Maupay himself dodging Manga to attempt a fine strike, but Audard was vigilant, deflecting it toward Meriem, who could do no better than hit the crossbar when blocked by Koné. The match was lively, but speed was often confused with haste, meaning the goalkeepers didn’t have much work to do. Half an hour into the game, OGC Nice experienced a new setback with Genevois staying down and eventually being replaced by Palun. The Nice infirmary would soon be full. Ospina had to play as a “flying goalkeeper” to prevent Aliadère from opening the score, and the game intensified in midfield, with Bauthéac stopped irregularly by Bourillon, earning the evening’s first yellow card. Aliadière then clashed with Civelli in Nice’s box, but the referee, Mr. Lesage, was not swayed by the former Gunner. Maupay, dazzling at the start, was less visible, well-monitored by the Breton defense, and the first half ended in a goalless draw.
The same players resumed the action on both sides, with the Nice team looking more dangerous; Bauthéac, visibly well-recovered, and Eysseric troubled Audard first. However, bit by bit, Les Merlus ventured more frequently into the Nice penalty area, with Aliadière and Monnet-Paquet trying to outsmart an impeccable Ospina. An hour into the game, Puel introduced Pied in place of a less effective Meriem in the second half. Action and reaction followed, as moments later, a beautiful move from Audard was needed to thwart Eysseric’s attempt, resulting in a corner. Approaching the last quarter of an hour, it was Ospina who showcased his agility on Jouffre’s well-taken free kick, yet he could do nothing about the next action, where Mareque scored with a lovely chip (0-1). Stunned silence at the Ray, a cold shower for the Eagles.
Puel then brought on the young Bosetti in place of Bauthéac, while Gourcuff mirrored with Autret replaced by a more defensive Lemina. With ten minutes to get back on level terms, the Nice players became more incisive, and it paid off. On the right flank, Pied found Eysseric, who deceived an Audard not entirely blameless on the goal (1-1). The Ray could breathe, and the last minutes promised to be quite intense. Ospina once again blocked Aliadère on a nice exit, allowing the Eagles to charge against the Lorient goal. Bosetti cleverly let a pass go through to Anin, whose attempt found only the base of Audard’s right post. Bosetti again tried on a volley from Eysseric’s good ball in stoppage time, but this last attempt sailed over the Breton goal.
Mr. Lesage blew the final whistle with the match drawing to a close on even terms, a result which certainly did not resolve much for either team, as they each added just a single point to their tally. Once again, the absence of Cvitanich was sorely felt in the Azure team’s play, as the saying goes: “you only miss someone when they are gone…”
Photo credit: www.ogcnice.com
