A victory (2-3) and an exit from the relegation zone, the team from Nice experienced a wonderful evening at Geoffroy Guichard. A breath of fresh air for a group that never gave up, finally securing the win at the end of the match thanks to Clerc.
It is the team from Nice that appears most enterprising at the beginning of the match, and from the first corner of the game, Ruffier has to assert himself on a corner from Coulibaly. A part of the Saint-Étienne supporters on strike appreciates it. Sinama-Pongolle lights the first sparks for Saint-Étienne, and Nicolas Rainville, the referee of the night, might have even awarded a penalty for one of his incursions into the box. Les Verts (Saint-Étienne) push forward, and it is almost logically that Gradel deceives Ospina for the first time with a 30-meter shot. There is a sigh of relief at Geoffroy Guichard, and the crowd seems to find its voice again as their team continues to push. But with attacking comes exposure, and it is on a well-launched counter by Sablé that Gonçalves crosses into the box for Digard who lets it pass for Mounier to equalize for Nice. A superb goal that puts the team from the Côte d’Azur back in the race.
Marsiglia then brings on Grandin in place of Palun as halftime approaches quickly. Gonçalves is beaten by Ruffier coming out of his area, and in the following action, Gomis sends a cross attempt from Ebondo out for a corner. Nicolita takes the corner, finding Marchal, who needs two tries to beat a helpless Ospina. The return to the dressing room is more complicated for Civelli’s men who did not deserve this.
Back on the pitch with the same 21 players except for Gomis, who is replaced by Abriel. Another Saint-Étienne corner, and this time it is Civelli who gets the better of Marchal, always there. Les Verts are determined to drive the point home at the start of the second half. But it was said that the team from Nice wouldn’t give up, and once again it is Mounier who launches the charge with a superb, but more importantly, winning diving header. OGC Nice reduced the score, and the hardest part seemed almost done for the teammates of a dazzling Digard. Far from settling for a precious point, the team from the Côte d’Azur tried to counter on Saint-Étienne’s feeble attempts, groggy after their opponents’ double success that night. Monzon is omnipresent at the end of this match and serves Coulibaly for the first time, forcing Ruffier to intervene with both fists. The minutes tick away and it seemed a point taken from Saint-Étienne is a fine catch. Still a minute of regulation time to play and a final corner for Nice with Monzon executing it. Civelli dives well and deflects at the near post; Clerc, forgotten by Ebondo, dispatches the ball with his right foot into Ruffier’s net. An explosion of joy on the Nice side, consternation on the field and in a stunned stadium. Ebondo tries to redeem his marking error in the last seconds but finds nothing better than the crossbar of Ospina’s goal.
OGC Nice finally wins 3 to 2, securing their second away victory in this battle for survival which saw Sochaux and Auxerre, fellow relegation battle competitors, prevail against Brest (2-1) and Valenciennes (2-0). Waiting on the results of other matches today, notably a critical Caen-Ajaccio, six teams are separated by only three points, closely followed (two points) by the bottom-of-the-table team, Auxerre.
