OGC Nice wins 2-1 against Olympique de Marseille after a match of high intensity. Reduced to 10 men for almost 40 minutes, the Eagles doubled the score and held on. A landmark victory for the Gym.
And that’s three! The Eagles have done it, securing a third consecutive win, 25 months later. Lorient, Bordeaux, and now Marseille, the 2015 hunting board is taking shape. With key absentees (Bodmer, Digard, Palun) and against a similarly depleted team (6 absences), Nice competed well and showed resources we hadn’t seen before.
Unlike in previous matches, Claude Puel’s men started the game at full speed. Mendy tried his luck first, but it was Plea who had the best opportunity. After a one-two with Hult, he got past Romao but his shot was too weak (8th minute). Marseille’s first chance came in the 12th minute when Romao headed wide from a corner. Shortly after, Mendy lost the ball in midfield, allowing Thauvin to cross for Batshuayi. The Belgian, just 4 meters from goal, missed the unmissable with a shot over the bar (14th minute). Nice responded through Plea, whose header went just over Mandanda’s crossbar (22nd minute). In a sign of an exciting match, the chances came thick and fast. Lemina did great work on the right, pulling back for Payet, but his shot grazed the post (25th minute). Nice tried through Bauthéac and Eysseric on free kicks, but both teams went into the break with a scoreless draw.
“At halftime, we felt we had a chance. We stuck to what had been our strength against Lorient and in Bordeaux: our mindset, high pressing. Everyone put in the effort, everyone did a little bit more. We’re going to savor this,” recounted Romain Genevois at the press conference.
No downtime at the start of the second half. From the first action, the Eagles opened the scoring through Romain Genevois, scoring his first goal in Ligue 1. The Nice defender benefited from a cross by Eysseric, who won his duel against Imbula, and beat Mandanda with his right foot after a scramble (1-0, 47th minute). The euphoria didn’t last long as within less than five minutes, Kévin Gomis received two yellow cards, the second very harsh. Tactical reorganization followed, with Carlos Eduardo making way for Diawara.
Even with numerical superiority, Marseille created few chances. Nice showed patience and remarkable character. Starting with a Marseille move, the Gym won back the ball near their corner flag and initiated a beautiful play. Mendy escaped from the midfield, passed to Bauthéac who did exceptional work before storming down the right. The in-form man of OGCN cleverly found Plea, who was on the edge of offside, who then passed back to Niklas Hult who had nothing left to do but put the ball in the net (2-0, 73rd minute). The Allianz Riviera stood in celebration of the Swede’s first goal in France, a night for the ages. The excitement quickly subsided. Imbula slipped but managed to find Thauvin in depth, who got past Amavi then Hassen who lost his footing (2-1, 77th minute). Marseille was fully revived. Punishment was close in the 82nd minute when Basthuayi beat Diawara but missed the target due to Hassen’s drop at his feet. No more excitement except for the first professional appearance of Sada Thioub, 19 years old.
Nice wins an exciting derby and gets back in a very tight Ligue 1 mid-table. At the end of the 22nd day, the red and blacks are guaranteed to stay in the Top 10. They are even on Montpellier’s heels, in 6th place. Next up is a trip to Metz next Saturday for the fourth consecutive win. But before that, the Eagles are going to savor this.
Photo credit and more information at www.ogcnice.com
