OGC Nice was defeated this Wednesday at the Louis-II stadium in the Azurian derby against AS Monaco (1-0), thanks to a goal from the Russian international and true penalty box poacher, Aleksandr Golovin, which allowed his team to take the lead following a fumble by Walter Benítez just before halftime.
Match Summary
The Eagles generally managed to control their approach but stumbled in finishing and were punished by their opponents who were able to show more danger and were rewarded with a goal. Right from the start of the match, both teams engaged in an intense battle to gain possession of the ball, with opportunities coming from both sides and neither team managing to dominate the other. In the 23rd minute, Nice marked its first big chance of the match with a header from Lemina that went just over the opponent’s goal. Returning from the break, OGCN was down by 1 goal, and right after the restart Andy Delort had a chance with a shot that unfortunately didn’t find the back of the net. Nice’s dominance settled in the second half and Delort managed a header in the 62nd minute that narrowly missed the target. The princely club had the chance to double its lead in the 71st minute with a chipped shot from Wissam Ben Yedder that hit the Nice post. In response, Khephren Thuram broke away with the ball and fired from the edge of the box, which was deflected, and the Nice team followed up with more chances but failed to be truly dangerous. Nonetheless, Monaco was under pressure from Nice until the end, with Monaco accumulating 5 yellow cards and providing Nice with advantageous set pieces to attempt. Ultimately, Nice couldn’t find an equalizer and suffered another defeat against Monaco with a score of 1-0.
Monaco on a Wild Streak
The Monegasques seem unstoppable and have secured their 5th consecutive victory, after defeating PSG at home and winning at Rennes, Philippe Clément’s players have now triumphed over Nice on their turf. The club from the Rock, displaying impressive stats in this final race, is determined to secure a spot in the top 3 in France and claim one of the last tickets to Europe.
“We Can Have Regrets”
This was the sentiment expressed by Christophe Galtier after the setback at the Louis-II stadium, and indeed the Eagles have reasons to be disappointed. Recently, the team has lacked precision and control in finishing (6 goals in 11 Ligue 1 matches), a recurring problem. Yesterday, despite numerous chances to equalize (15 shots, 2 on target), the Nice team missed their chance to win the derby and consequently saw their dreams of a podium finish slip away. This 10th league defeat pushes the team out of the top 5 (6th) and leaves them trailing 2 points behind their neighboring rivals (4th), Strasbourg (3rd), and Rennes (2nd). The Eagles cannot afford any more mistakes if they wish to reconnect with European prospects and will face Troyes next Sunday at the Allianz Riviera for the 34th matchday of Ligue 1.
