Thanks to a liberating goal from Pierre Lees-Melou, the Aiglons made the best deal of the weekend and seized fifth place, with a very small lead over their pursuers.
Everything was hard, anxiety-inducing, tense, and contested. But under a blazing sun, when he was (again) expected to come through, Lucien Favre’s group did not disappoint. Better yet, they accepted the challenge posed by an opponent more comfortable without the ball, adapted to it without betraying themselves, and finally scraped a precious victory in the race for Europe, thanks to a generous performance enhanced by a moment of brilliance.
Right from kick-off, the opposing Montpellier team played “in combat formation,” with tight lines and the block in midfield. A small difference: Michel Der Zakarian abandoned his usual 5-3-2 for a 4-2-3-1 designed to disrupt the red and black midfield. A bet that was (initially) successful for the Hérault coach. Not very comfortable with their back to the game, on the short (and tricky) passes from the back line, the Skhiri – Piriz duo proved to be formidable when facing the play. When they could defend by advancing and project forward, using the robust Sio and the very active Sambia as support.
And what about the Gym? During the first half, they initially did not inject enough speed into their passing to shake the country’s second-best defense. They then leaned on the support of their crowd, the legs of Saint-Maximin, and Mario’s vision to increase the pressure just before the break.
Nonetheless, few clear chances enlivened a tactical and physical first half. In quick succession, Skhiri placed a very good shot off-target (13’). Sio had two headers, the first caught by Benitez (30’) and the second wide (34’).
On the Nice side, Mario, combative and comfortable in hold-up play, unleashed a good shot that went off-target (37’). Saint-Maximin, who caused trouble for Congré, was blocked by Lecomte’s fists on a good cross from Lees-Melou (40’). Then Dante and Mario battled at a corner, but the fight was won by the opposing goalkeeper, who held the ball.
It was written that the difference would be made by the hearts. The victory would be played out through desire, through grit. The Gym returned to the pitch with desire and grit. Plea, slightly out on the visitors’ side, tried a shot from the outside but missed the target (56’). A prelude to the only goal of the game…
Shortly after, Saint-Maximin, now on the left, intercepted a pass from Mukiele (which confirmed MHSC’s difficulties in the initial play…) and quickly fed Lees-Melou. Mr. Pierre crafted a masterpiece, advanced, and struck hard with the inside of his foot. The ball bounced once, picked up speed, and settled into Lecomte’s side netting (1-0, 59’).
The Gym had done the hard part. They stepped on the gas to kill the game, yet without success, which kept the 21,285 spectators at the Allianz under immense pressure.
Saint-Maximin, again and again, sent a missile just over the crossbar (67’), and Lucien Favre’s group refused to back down, thus avoiding mistakes made in the recent past.
Seri saw his shot blocked by the Hérault defense. “ASM” saw Lecomte deflect his attempt (77’). And in the final minutes of the match, the Aiglons rallied around the immense Dante to preserve their lead and ultimately achieve THE successful move of this 34th day.
There, the sprint is perfectly launched…
LUCIEN FAVRE’S REACTION
“It’s a narrow but deserved victory considering the whole match. We didn’t have a choice with the results over the past fortnight. We had to win. We took the necessary risks. However, we didn’t penetrate enough in the eighteen yards, and that’s why we scored from a 25m shot. We managed to stay in the game without confusing speed and haste. In the end, Montpellier had very few chances. We were 19th in November. It’s important not to forget where we came from. In this race for Europe, it’s all very close. We’re currently leading this group for now, but it continues; there’s a month of competition left. All our upcoming opponents have something to play for because everything is very tight in this league, which is rare in a 20-team championship being so close to the end.”
DANTE’S REACTION
“Today, we did what we had to: win at home. It was very important to take these 3 points after two recent draws. However, it’s not now that we should start thinking about the 5th place and everything else, because it would be very dangerous. We need to focus on the upcoming match, that’s all. The trip to Strasbourg will be very tough, we know that. We need to go there with a warrior spirit. We’re going to face a very difficult team to play against, which has a lot of quality. It will be a final, we need to prepare well, as we prepared well for this Montpellier match. Pierre’s performance this Sunday? He is a player who is improving, a hard worker, a good lad, always listening. We’re happy for him, unfortunately, in football, we don’t have the time to be satisfied with what’s past. We hope he recovers well because we’ll need him to deliver a great performance in Strasbourg.”
