OGC Nice finishes just short of the podium, having had a rich season with a Coupe de la Ligue final, a Coupe de France semi-final, and reaching the playoff semi-finals.
Issy Paris claimed their spot on the podium by dominating Nice on their home turf.
After digesting the first leg defeat, Pablo Morel’s team delivered a serious and committed performance, managing to unsettle the OGCN side, which struggled to execute their offensive game.
Despite a strong start to the match (1-3 at the 5′), Béatrice Edwige’s teammates couldn’t maintain the pace. Challenged in front of their home crowd, the Lionesses quickly got back on track, relying notably on a solid defensive base (11-9 at halftime).
As in the first half, the opening minutes of the second half were difficult to manage for the home team.
In the wake of a dynamic and effective Karen Knustdottir (8 goals), the Aiglonnes took advantage of this slump from their opponents to get back into the game and regain control of the match (12-14 at the 38′).
But on the other side, the Parisian team didn’t give up, and propelled by Karolina Zalewski — the joint top scorer of the match with 8 goals — Issy took a commanding 6-1 run in less than 10 minutes against the Niçoises (20-16 at the 49′). This disastrous phase was fatal to Sébastien Gardillou’s players, who, despite unyielding determination, never managed to close the gap.
After a perfectly managed final quarter, Issy Paris triumphs with a score of 25-20, climbing to the third spot on the podium in the 2015-2016 French Championship.
