After a series of challenging matches, Nice is smiling again with this 1-0 victory against Lille. Hardly troubled by a disappointing Lille side, the Eagles secure three important points and gain confidence before playing the derby against Monaco this Saturday afternoon.
It seems that the pressure applied by the president, Jean-Pierre Rivère, on Monday during training has paid off. Just like the messages from the supporters after the match in Nantes (2-1 defeat) and this week. Nice is a bit of a team with two faces. At home, the Eagles are solid, play well, and earn points. Whereas away, they struggle and often return empty-handed.
“The supporters and the president were right to be hard on us. The group wanted to get back on track and tonight we delivered a great performance, showing our true virtues,” noted Eric Bauthéac in a press conference.
Claude Puel, the coach of the Gym, had warned that changes would be made for the reception of Lille. The 3-5-2 was replaced with a 4-2-3-1, with Llyod Palun replacing Grégoire Puel, Albert starting at just 18 years old, and Carlos Eduardo as playmaker. From the start of the match, Nice displayed a completely different mentality and quickly took control of the midfield with an unstoppable duo, Mendy-Albert, who recovered countless balls. For a large part of the match, they notably stifled the LOSC midfield, a rather uncommon occurrence. The Eagles were enterprising and created chances through Eysseric, Bauthéac, and Bosetti, the latter should have been awarded a penalty for a challenge by Kjaer from behind (22nd minute).
The breakthrough came in the 41st minute. From a perfectly taken corner by Valentin Eysseric, Mathieu Bodmer rose higher than Kjaer and nestled the ball into the near side of the Lille goalkeeper’s net. The Niçois could have led 2-0 if Carlos Eduardo, after a 40-meter run, had a bit of luck.
The second half was much duller than the first. Lille showed a different side but remained ineffective unlike Nice. Eric Bauthéac stood out, taking direct corners three times, saved at the last moment by Vincent Enyeama. The red and black block was solid, well-positioned, like Bodmer and Genevois who let nothing pass.
“It’s a good match on our part, it was important to show something different from the previous matches. Tonight, it’s a victory for a team that had the right attitude,” explained Claude Puel after the match.
With this important victory, Nice climbs to 12th place with 10 points and regains confidence before the clash of the next day. Indeed, this Saturday afternoon (2 PM), Claude Puel’s men will visit their Monegasque rivals to erase the three defeats suffered last season and reclaim the leadership of the French Riviera.
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