OGC Nice logically succumbed to a more dominant and combative Salzburg team. This defeat condemns the Eagles to achieve an exploit against Schalke 04 and Krasnodar.
Before the match, the situation was simple: the Gym had to win to keep any hope alive in this group I. After two defeats and a victory, hope was still alive.
To achieve this victory, the Gym provided the necessary means: almost the first-choice eleven was fielded. In the absence of Baysse and Dalbert, the Swiss coach maintained the four-man defense with Dante and Sarr in the center, assisted by Ricardo and Souquet on the sides. In midfield, Koziello was paired with Seri and Cyprien. Up front, Balotelli returned to lead the attack, assisted on his sides by Pléa and Belhanda.
From the start, the Gym was under threat. Salzburg took control of the ball, disrupted relaunches, and pressed hard. Dante’s large stride avoided a perilous situation (20′), Koziello’s leg deflected a shot from Gulbrandsen in front of his goal (22′), and Cardinale’s horizontal stop from a shot by Dabbur kept the locals afloat (40′).
Offensively, the Gym sparked a few timid flashes. This was due to a tough opponent, well-organized and fighting for survival in an effective and vertical 4-4-2, whose offensive efficiency depended on the very lively Rzatkowski – a left-footer playing on the right – before being boosted by the entrance of Hwuan half an hour from the end. Mario Balotelli, a solid anchor point, set off from the left twice, cut inside, and tried his luck from distance, without danger for Walke (20′, 37′). Wylan Cyprien cut a corner from Seri but didn’t aim his header (39′). A few small skirmishes illustrating the “closed” nature of the debate.
More aggressive after the break, Nice took control of the game, following in the wake of a available and generous Belhanda. Unable to find the gap, they had to attack while keeping an eye on Austrian counters. A difficult balance. Super Mario sent a missile on a free kick at the hour mark, well-captured by the opposing goalkeeper. A set-piece to which Salzburg responded through Rzatkowski, whose curved free-kick was deflected onto his bar by a focused Cardi (62′).
As the minutes passed, tension mounted. The Gym continued to walk a tightrope. They eventually fell to the wrong side, punished by Hwang, who came off the bench and scored a brace in 2 minutes (72′, 73′). A double consisting of an unstoppable header, and a sequence of controlled turn and small volley in one step.
Stunned, Lucien Favre’s team never recovered. The entries of Eysseric, Walter, and Donis changed nothing. Neither did Mario Balotelli’s free kick, 10 minutes from the end.
The Gym therefore fell for the second time at home in the Europa League, with a ton of regrets. They are now condemned to achieve two monumental exploits to keep dreaming of continental travels. But you never know, with the Gym (almost) anything is possible.
The stat: 1 minute 38 seconds
This is the time that elapsed between Hwang Hee-Chan’s two goals, the South Korean striker from Salzburg. This shows how cruel the scenario is for the Gym.
Lucien Favre’s reaction:
I am not necessarily surprised. It’s the European Cup. Salzburg is a team that suffered major disappointment early in the season by narrowly missing out on the Champions League in the play-offs against Zagreb. We narrowly won there 15 days ago even though they had more chances than us. We need to increase our physical, but also technical pace. Sometimes we need to take one less touch, better position ourselves, and seek depth. In terms of intensity, we have a lot of work to do. Salzburg played well, and was very strong in terms of intensity. We have to acknowledge that in terms of rhythm, we were struggling. We needed to bypass the lines, play in-depth or faster. They did a lot of pressing, coming and going, and we struggled to play our game.
Dante’s reaction:
The Europa League is more demanding than L1, that’s normal. At the international level, there is more intensity, more aggressiveness. Small mistakes, you pay for them dearly. I felt that we had a bit less energy than usual. Mental freshness and concentration were lacking. It can happen from time to time. These are things to learn, there are positive points that we must keep and others that we must continue to improve.
