Under criticism from its shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, OGC Nice was not strong enough to secure a result in a high-stakes derby. The stakes being qualification for the next Champions League.
Seeing the offensive fireworks lit at the start of the match by the Monégasques around Bulka, it was hard to imagine when and how the Niçois would stop this offensive onslaught led by Minamino, Akliouche, and the Danish poison Biereth in the first fifteen minutes. Without preliminaries, Monaco obtained a penalty as early as the 4th minute which Mika Biereth missed in front of Marcin Bulka, in top form on this occasion and many others that followed. It’s worth noting that the Pole has stopped his fourth penalty since beginning in Ligue 1, including three against Monaco after those against Folarin Balogun in 2023.
The domination of the Monégasques was to increase as the minutes passed and the worst was feared for the Niçois without the dazzling form of the Polish goalkeeper, who showcased all his artistry to preserve his goal, even though sometimes, the crossbar gave him a little help, notably on this curved shot from Minamino (8′), or when Dante deflected the trajectory of the tense shot from the lively Akliouche (17′).
A real boxing match!
It was only at the 20th minute that the Aiglons woke up to launch their own wave of attempts which boded well for the future. A header from Dante (20’), then a sharp strike from Rosario (23’), then another shot from Boga (26’)… It was enough to gain momentum and ignite the first half, which looked like a boxing match where both sides could land a hit at any moment. It was intense and very enjoyable to watch, given the level of back-and-forth action. It was well deserved when Boga scored the Nice goal from a perfect cross by Clauss (41’), even though it must be admitted that the Monégasques were superior on all levels.
The derby is just a battle, the war is not over!
As evidenced by the displayed fury at the start of the second half by the Monégasque attackers, which the Dane Biereth concluded in the 55th minute with an unstoppable missile that went over Bulka, as an act of redemption for his missed penalty. It was the 12th goal for Marcin Bulka in 11 matches!
It would be unfair not to highlight the disruptive work carried out by the magician Maghnes Akliouche, who was almost behind all the good actions of the Monégasques. A raw talent this young man, who showed the way to his teammates by constantly being in the action, unlike the Aiglons who remained more in reaction. And when staying confined in defense for too long, one inevitably leaves the field open for the opponent to attempt to score. Which occurred in the 73rd minute, decisively ending the match. Akliouche, again, served Embolo in the box. The Swiss player reviewed the entire Nice defense and kept enough composure to seal Bulka’s fate, (2-1)!
This is the major flaw of the Niçois who missed a good chance to take second place in the standings after the Marseilles’ defeat against Reims (3-1).
Come on, let’s not give up now. The derby is just a battle, and the war for second place is not over for the Aiglons. Everything is still possible with this margin of three small points to catch up.
Nacym Djender
Franck Haise: “They were superior to us!”
“Monaco was largely superior to us from the first half. We were lucky not to concede and to open the score, but there was too much of a gap between the two teams. Technically, physically… in many areas for there to be an outcome different from this one. […] It’s a totally logical score for Monaco. Tonight, we must admit they were at a very high level, and we were well below what we are capable of achieving.”