Despite a balanced encounter, Nice could do nothing against the offensive efficiency of Saint-Étienne, who secured qualification for the next Europa League.
While OGC Nice was only playing for honor positions this Saturday evening in the Cauldron, ASSE could secure its 4th place and qualification for the Europa League with a win, or even hope to finish on the podium if Lyon stumbled against Caen.
Even without their Dante-Hérelle pairing, both suspended, the Gym had a rather good first half. The Aiglons created multiple opportunities, with Ignatius Ganago sharp and incisive on his left side, making several attempts (6′, 9′, 20′, 37′).
Danilo then hit the bar, on a triple opportunity in the same play with Lees-Melou (volley deflected by Ruffier), Danilo (crossbar), and then Ganago (over). The Red and Blacks also posed threats from set-pieces, thanks to the precise left foot of Olivier Boscagli.
But, like many teams this season, they fell victim to the realism of the Verts. On their first chance, the Stéphanois opened the scoring through Beric while Perrin, who had unsuccessfully tried to take Salibur’s cross, was in an offside position (1-0, 26th minute).
This twist of fate did not dampen the resolve of Patrick Vieira’s players, who remained the most dangerous until the break. They could have even been awarded a penalty on an action where Ganago was brought down by Fofana before Perrin accidentally handled the ball, but the referee saw it otherwise. Worse, ASSE, on its second chance of the match, almost doubled the lead, but Nordin’s strike hit Benítez’s post.
STERILE DOMINATION FOR THE GYM
After the break, the Gym continued to play in the Stéphanois camp and controlled the ball (66% possession). However, Nice lacked realism, well-aided by an imperial Ruffier in the Verts’ goal.
To cap off this frustrating evening, Beric doubled the lead with a goal seemingly tainted by the Slovene striker’s offside position, yet the VAR did not object (2-0, 65th minute). Towards the end, the Gym became more disorganized, and while Danilo (78′) or Le Bihan (80′) again challenged Ruffier, the Azuréens knew they had missed their chance. They even conceded a third goal from a well-placed low shot by Hamouma (3-0, 81st minute).
With this defeat and the point Nîmes brought back from Guingamp, the Aiglons slipped to the 8th place before the derby of the last day against AS Monaco, which will prove crucial in the relegation battle for the Monegasques. Even though, thanks to their victory against Amiens (2-0), the essential for the Rocher players is almost complete.
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“Overall, we cannot say that this 3-0 score reflects the difference between the two teams. We leave here with a lot of frustration because the team deserved better. It’s a shame not to have managed to score, which would have given us confidence. The difference tonight is the experience between the two teams. Beric gets two chances, he scores both. We had quite a few, their goalkeeper made some great saves, but we leave frustrated. It sums up the season a bit where we manage to play good football, do interesting things, but in the end, we don’t put it in the back, miss the final pass, are naive defensively, and concede a goal. But regarding the mentality, I have nothing to reproach my players for.”
