For this 29th day of Ligue 1, OGC Nice traveled to the Vรฉlodrome to face Olympique de Marseille. It was a crucial match for both the Gym and OM to claim the runner-up spot behind PSG.
From the very first moments of the match, it was Marseille that settled in the Nice half. The Gym’s tactical setup seemed similar to that used in major league matches: a low block, solid in defense, playing on the counterattack.
In the early minutes of this match, Marseille made their presence felt. OM won four set pieces in the first 10 minutes (three corners and one free kick).
Logically, it was the Marseillais who struck first through ฤaleta-Car.
Immediately after, Marseille created a second chance that could have been successful without Todibo’s intervention. Following a long clearance from Pau Lopez, Milik exploited his pace and controlled the ball superbly. Fortunately, Todibo intervened and ended the attack.
As expected, the Niรงois were going to try to break through the Marseille defense with counters and by accelerating on the flanks. It was precisely through a counterattack that the Gym created their first chance of the match. Melvin Bard sped past Saliba and crossed for Stengs. The Dutchman arrived in full speed, struck with his left foot, and saw his powerful shot pass just wide of the goal.
Marseille continued to dominate this early part of the match and created many opportunities from set pieces. This time an ex-Nice player came close to scoring: William Saliba. The defender, who played for Nice last year, got on the end of a long cross from Payet with a header. Benitez made an exceptional save to preserve his team.
As the match progressed, OM held onto the ball, and Nice struggled to exploit Marseille’s ball losses. Logically, Marseille created two chances in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Twice, the Marseille captain found himself centrally located, a few meters before the Nice penalty area. He aimed for the left corner, but neither of his attempts was on target.
As the first half entered stoppage time, Marseille found themselves once again up against Nice’s defensive block. Under, particularly active since the start of the match, played a one-two with Guendouzi. The Turkish winger entered the box and pushed the ball forward when Todibo tried to intervene. The former Barรงa player caught the Marseille player’s leg, resulting in a penalty. Milik converted it by sending Benitez the wrong way. 1 โ 0 for OM just before the break, a rather logical score, as although the Gym was defensively solid, the Aiglons had only one chance in the first half.
As soon as the second half kicked off, the Niรงois quickly pushed into the Marseille half, and they almost equalized through Andy Delort (48th). But the goal was disallowed for offside, as Calvin Stengs, the provider for the Algerian forward, started his run from behind the Marseille defensive line.
Marseille responded for the first time in this second half. After a collective movement, the ball reached Milik. The Pole attempted a lob over Benitez, but Todibo managed to save the goal by deflecting the ball onto the post (55th)!
At the hour mark, from a high set piece taken by Stengs, the Niรงois finally posed a threat to the Marseille goal. First, with a header from Delort, and then it came back to Stengs (64th). Gouiri attempted a powerful shot on the left side, but it went over, as did another header from Delort in the 71st minute.
With 30 minutes remaining in the match, OGC Nice began to truly take control. The Marseillais conceded chances and committed fouls. Just then, the Niรงois thought they had won a penalty after Saliba pushed Delort in the box. Despite communication with the VAR, the referee did not award any penalty (73rd)!
Even if this decision was incomprehensible, the Aiglons did not give up and continued to attack. After a great run, Gouiri opened his foot to find the side netting, once again coming very close to the goal. Andy Delort, unlucky with his previous two headers and the non-penalized foul, would have one last chance in this match.
On the counter, the ball moved quickly to Kluivert. Having just come on a minute earlier, he crossed to Delort. The shot from the Setois slipped through Saliba’s legs, who managed to deflect the ball just enough for it to go out.
Despite the offensive changes by Christophe Galtier (with the entrances of Dolberg, Kluivert, Atal, and Guessand), Nice failed to score during this strong period and conceded another goal from Marseille.
It all started from a Caleta-Car interception, followed by a series of passes between Guendouzi, Kamara, and Gerson, who advanced down the left and delivered a cross onto the head of Cรฉdric Bakambu, who avoided Amavi’s challenge and nodded the ball beyond Benitez’s reach. 2 โ 0 to Marseille, one minute before regulation time ended
The Aiglons occupied OM’s half and did everything to score a goal. On a free kick to the left at the entrance of the Marseille box, Justin Kluivert struck to the near post, and Mario Lemina rushed in, beating Pau Lopez. The former Phocaean player from 2013 to 2015 brought the Gym to 2-1 in the 92nd minute.
The Gym pushed to equalize, but Marseille clung onto their three points, and the referee blew the final whistle.
It was a tough defeat at the Vรฉlodrome for OGC Nice, losing 2-1. In the first half, the Aiglons showed some defensive solidity but created no offensive chances besides Stengsโ (24th). Marseille’s opening goal seemed quite logical at halftime. The Niรงois returned from the locker room with much more offensive intent, but they failed to capitalize on their chances. Mr. Brisard could perhaps have awarded a penalty for a Saliba foul on Delort (73rd), but OM held firm, and Bakambu scored just before added time. Lemina’s goal two minutes from the end gave the Azurean fans a glimmer of hope, but Marseille ultimately won this decisive match.
With this defeat, OGC Nice dropped to 4th place in the Ligue 1 standings, three points behind OM and two points behind Rennes. The Gymโs next Ligue 1 match will be against the Breton club, at the Allianz, on April 3rd after the international break. With this setback at the Vรฉlodrome, the Aiglons know they must absolutely beat Rennes in the race for the Champions League qualifying spots.
