A stadium well filled with over 13,000 spectators at an unusual time for a Ligue 1 match, probably an irony of a schedule that includes the infamous April 1st. However, Antonetti and his protégés entered the game with the firm intention of feasting on the Monégasque fish and leaving only the head, bones, and tail. A true undersea bullfight on a bubbling hill at Le Ray.
Then came the eleventh minute that ignited a crowd that was just waiting for this spark to burst into flames. A bright pass from Rool to Lilian Laslandes, who slipped behind a Monégasque defense that was frozen and surprised by the fiery Nice player’s pass. The outcome was found at the back of the net, as Roma had to retrieve it after a gorgeous strike by Laslandes who, on this occasion, scored his 124th goal in Ligue 1. The early evening was shaping up well, and the red and black defense stood solid with an imperial Apam quickly “dropping the mask” of protection that gave him a look reminiscent of Edgar Davids. Just after the half-hour mark, Laslandes could have even doubled the lead in front of Monaco’s goals while Olivier Echouafni was ideally positioned behind him. The giant Koller came on to replace the injured Pino on the princely side, and the Nice defense now had to jump a bit higher to handle the long aerial crosses from the entering Czech player. On the eagles’ side, Bellion and Vahirua combined well, Echouafni gave one of his best performances of the season, and it was with a logical score of 1-0 that the 22 players returned to the dressing rooms at Le Ray, which one would hope is more salubrious than its stands and toilets!
Pan bagna, pissaladière, rosé or red and black lollipop, there are choices for every taste during the break if one is really patient, and the game kicks off again on the Nice lawn. Cyril Rool, impeccable until then, though warned at the 16th minute for a foul, did not play a full hour with his teammates, and a few inappropriate words were enough to draw a second yellow card signaling exclusion from a Mr. Poulat who clearly did not appreciate Rool’s comments, who, once again, let his old demons resurface. They had to hold on for about thirty minutes playing ten against eleven. In this regard, Scotto replaces an honorable Bellion and Vahirua – given a standing ovation by the Ray stadium which shows a great appreciation for the Tahitian from Nice – who gives up his place to Camara on the red and black side and Plasil comes into play on the red and white side. Yellow cards rain down on Le Ray as they should have yesterday in a Ligue Cup final that resembled more the Battle of Verdun. Briefly, the game tightens up a bit, the midfield is locked down, and the minutes tick away towards the possible three points suspended by the small one-goal lead of the eagles defending their nest with beak and nails. Ten minutes to go on Le Ray’s electronic countdown. That’s the time left when Plasil, who had come on a few moments earlier, adjusts Hugo Lloris with a clear shot at the edge of the box. The numerical superiority weighed this time on the match, which now looks more worrying for the people of Nice who hope to keep this valuable point that could make the difference at the end of the season.
At 5:54 pm, the referee blows the whistle for the last time, signaling with three whistles that the result is final, tied at one goal each in an Azurean derby that, although it won’t remain in the annals of Nice football, had an altogether acceptable level of play for a late Sunday afternoon.
One point, that’s all for the scoreboard and for the bags of Nice and Monaco whose teams now stand in the sixteenth and thirteenth places, respectively. A draw that, ultimately, does not cost too much for the red and black side with home defeats for Nantes against Sedan and Troy against Sochaux by the same, smaller score (0-1). The shadows at the tableau: a fine victory for Valenciennes on Lille’s turf, thus putting the Northerners four points ahead of the Southerners from Nice, and the Parisian revival against Lens with a 2-1 victory in Artois. Next rendezvous for Antonetti’s men at Sochaux, which stands at an astonishing third place in the standings with the firm intention of staying there… or even better.
Eight more matchdays to play and 24 points to collect at Sochaux (04/07), against St Etienne at Nice (04/14), at Sedan (04/21), against Auxerre at Le Ray (04/28), in Nancy (05/05), hosting Paris Saint Germain (05/09), in Northern soil at Lens (05/19) to finish at home against Le Mans (05/26). Not at all an impossible mission for the people of Nice who will soon see the return of Balmont, Koné, and Traoré whose absences were felt at certain moments of the evening.
Eight commando missions as the island coach likes them, and no doubt in Nice’s ranks there is a strong hope of rather spending a summer in Ligue 1.
