Pushed around for nearly the entire match, the Aiglons managed to secure a point on the field in Caen. Their first of the season.
Some initial signs can be deceptive. The first action of the match confirmed this. When, after just 3 minutes of play, Allan Saint-Maximin, with speed and power, won his one-on-one with Paul Baysse and broke free to serve Pierre Lees-Melou (whose half-volley at the near post was stopped by Samba), one might have seen in this flash the early signs of domination. Ultimately, it was heart, grit, and a refusal to lose that allowed the team from the Côte d’Azur to earn their first point.
The start quickly ran into another reality, made of battles and duels. Made for the locals, to sum it up. And for the Aiglons in the second half, once they adapted to the events.
Facing an opponent that adopted the same system it did (the 4-3-3), Patrick Vieira’s squad initially committed too many technical errors to dictate the game as they wished.
During their tough start, they relied on Yoan Cardinale. After a header from Tchokounté was inadvertently deflected by Hérelle’s arm, the first cold sweat swept through the Nice ranks (27’). Mr. Wattelier pointed to the corner spot. On said corner kick, Baysse thought he had opened the scoring, but the referee whistled a foul against the former Gym captain (29’). In the aftermath, the latter placed a powerful header, on which Cardinale invented a superb save, deflected the ball onto the post, watched the ball flirt with the line, and ultimately grasped it to save the homeland (31’).
In the wake of a good Danilo Barbosa (author of a sombrero – acceleration – shot sequence, blocked by Baysse at the 33’), the Aiglons pushed higher up the field. This resulted in a few timid opportunities. Tameze’s header from a Cyprien corner went wide (35’), as did Burner’s shot (39’), who was aligned in place of Atal (injured in the hamstring) on the right flank. A calm save by Cardinale on a long-range attempt by Fajr (44’) brought the first 45 minutes to an end.
The last 45 began with a twist of fate. Unfortunately unfavorable to the Gym. During a battle of the strong, Hérelle (whose sense of combat was precious) hooked Tchokounté, and the referee awarded a rather harsh penalty which Bammou converted (1-0, 51’).
Following this opening score, Patrick Vieira immediately intervened. The boss sent Ganago in for Burner, slid Tameze to right-back, centered Lees-Melou, shifted Saint-Maximin (who started at the point) to a wing, and provided more density and numbers to the attacking sector. The effect was immediate, but Samba perfectly saved shots from Maolida and Cyprien (60’, 63’).
Despite the saves by the opposing goalkeeper, the Red and Black kept pushing and clearly dominated the late stage of the match. PLM’s attempt lacked force (71’), but not Ganago’s header. Like last week in N2, the Cameroonian made a difference during his half-hour of play. On a delightful pass from Boscagli, at the far post, Ignatius sensed the opportunity, outplayed Djiku, and sent the ball back where it came from, scoring his second goal in L1 (1-1, 82’) after his one against Monaco last season.
Despite a mishit header by Armougoum (84’), the Niçois threw all their energy into the final minutes, without managing to snatch victory. They secured a good, rather reassuring point a week before hosting Dijon. It will be next Saturday, at the Allianz Riviera.
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“This point is deserved. We didn’t give up after conceding that goal, and we are happy to return to Nice with 1 point, it was important because we try to play, to create chances, to push forward. We know it’s not perfect, there is still a lot of work, but morally, it was important not to lose. Ganago had a great week of training and brought us a lot when he came on. It’s good to have people in the box when the ball is on the side.”
DANTE’S REACTION
“After the goal we conceded, the coach took risks, and they paid off. We’ll need to keep the same spirit and similar ideas to continue growing. Tonight, we didn’t get the three points, but this draw is deserved because we played very well in the second half. It is part of our progression; it’s up to us now to go get the victory at our next home game.”
