Despite a stated intention to move forward, the Aiglons were unable to score against Angers (0-0). They will at least have the satisfaction of not conceding a goal.
A difficult read. No goal, despite a series of local opportunities in the first half, and a scenario that, despite the point gained, brings a lot of frustration. Entering the match like lions, the Aiglons dictated the pace before losing steam, even though they never gave up. They could have taken the lead if J.V. Makengo, alone in the 6-yard box following a cross from Atal, poorly cleared by Traoré, had converted the first opportunity of the match.
But the attacking midfielder, lined up as the second playmaker in a “new-look” 3-4-2-1, with Saint-Maximin on the left wing, found Butelle’s gloves (2’). Despite this, the men from the Côte pressed hard from the start, constructing frequently with one touch, dragging their opponents from right to left, and often finding opening when they advanced vertically. At the back, Dante reigned supreme; in the middle, Cyprien confirmed his form; but up front, Balotelli lacked effectiveness.
He lacked precision in his ball control (4’), was a bit short on a Saint-Maximin cross (18’), a bit long on his lob, after a through ball from Cyprien (24’), then curled it wide (25’). A difficult evening for him, in a season growing increasingly complicated.
In terms of chances, Saint-Maximin, launched by Cyprien following an opposing corner, came up against a good save from Butelle, 30 meters out (26’), and behind all these arrows, Angers loosened the grip and began to believe in their chance, led by a wonderfully skilled Flavien Tait. Just, very hard to mark because of his intelligence, SCO’s best passer put Bahoken on orbit at the half-hour mark, but the former red and black man opened his foot a little too much (28’). Luckily for a Gym that, after clearly dominating, gradually subsided before the break.
The intensity stayed in the dressing rooms, as the actors returned to the pitch with less energy. Benitez deflected a Tait shot from the frame, Butelle attempted to remove a shot from Atal.
The Gym remained as solid as ever but a bit less inspired, and SCO started to believe in their chance. More and more. But SCO did not appear dangerous. Half an hour from the end, Patrick Vieira took control, introducing Ganago and Srarfi in place of Makengo and Balotelli. But the Red and Black became disorganized and no longer troubled the visitors until injury time.
The last Red and Black substitution was dictated by fate, with Dante injured, leaving 15 minutes to the end. The Gym switched to a 4-3-3, but the inspiration did not come. When it did, on a Saint-Maximin cross, Pavlovic reacted quicker than Ganago (84’), then Butelle was sent off for handling the ball outside his area, denying Nice their ultimate opportunity. It should be noted that the referee initially showed a yellow card before VAR upgraded it to red.
A final series of dead-ball situations and hot moments around Baptiste Santamaria’s goal (who replaced his goalkeeper in a hurry) sent shivers through Allianz Riviera. But no goals to speak of.
Deprived of victory (and goals) for the second time in three days, the Aiglons extend to a sixth match without conceding a goal. They haven’t lost since October 21 (0-1 against Marseille). A series to continue as soon as Friday, with a “trip” (if it really is one) to neighbors Monaco.
THE STAT: 25
Walter Benitez has stopped the last 25 shots on target he faced in Ligue 1. A real wall that allows the Gym to stay in touch with the favorites.
PATRICK VIEIRA’S REACTION
“It was a very complicated match tonight. We faced a team that didn’t give us any space. We surprised them in the first quarter of an hour with our organization, created 2-3 chances where we could have taken advantage but unfortunately we didn’t score. Then they adapted, and it became more difficult for us. In the second half, we struggled more because we didn’t inject any speed into our game. In the end, it’s still a frustrating 0-0. Now, as they say, when you don’t win, you must not lose. Tonight’s point is better than nothing.”
Wylan Cyprien’s REACTION
“We are neither FC Barcelona nor Real Madrid; we’re not going to win every match. Sure, in the first quarter hour there were clear chances, we could have secured the game, and we didn’t do it; but we also didn’t concede. I’m not worried about the future. We still aren’t losing; the series continues, and we create chances. If that weren’t the case, I’d be a bit worried. Right now, it’s just a bit of precision missing in the final move, the final pass. It will come. Lille is a forward-driven team, here it was Angers, with five at the back, waiting for us. It wasn’t easy. But again, we’ve taken 14 points from 18: if you told me that before starting the series, I would have signed up right away. The expectations shouldn’t suddenly skyrocket just because we’ve won several matches in a row. On the contrary, we need to keep a cool head and remember where we came from. We didn’t do everything right, but saying we’re disappointed seems a bit harsh.”
