Facing Olympique de Marseille for this 9th day of Ligue 1, Nice claimed the Côte d’Azur derby (1-0) and now moves to the top spot of the provisional standings. Debrief.
Despite the absences of Amin Diop, injured, Khéphren Thuram, suspended, and Youcef Atal, temporarily sidelined from the club, the Gym presented a strong starting eleven supported by its key players: from Jean-Clair Todibo to Youssouf Ndayishimiye and Terem Moffi, the 4-3-3 formation so dear to Francesco Farioli was enough to plant doubt in the minds of the Olympians, who had been fielding a 4-2-3-1 formation, leaving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang alone at the attack forefront.
A Tense Ending
The match could be summed up in the last ten minutes, as the game was so tightly contested. Before the goal, the best chance was credited to Aubameyang, who used his speed to get the better of Dante before striking the post (72nd) of Marcin Bulka. The following moments were tense and tilted in favor of the Niçois, who couldn’t hope for a better scenario.
After Leonardo Balerdi was sent off (78th) for a foul at the edge of the penalty area, Evann Guessand, who had just come into the match, showcased his talent by heading in a precisely placed free kick by Jérémie Boga. The French-Ivorian thus scored the match’s only, and crucial, goal: “I came in with motivation, as I often do. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But the goal is always to keep going to help the team. I’m here, trying to give my all in every game to play as many minutes as possible and make the coach think. That’s the goal,” the striker commented to Canal +.
Testament to the intensity, both teams finished the match with fewer players. Besides Balerdi’s expulsion, Jonathan Clauss and Pau Lopez left the field injured for Marseille. Jordan Lotomba also left his teammates earlier than expected in the first half. OGC Nice continues its impressive streak of nine games (out of nine) without defeats and moves to the top of the table with 19 points!
See you next Friday at the Gabriel Montpied Stadium in Clermont for the Aiglons.
