Nice Cavigal Handball triumphed (32-28) against Bagnols Gard Rhodanien. The team from Nice secures a third victory in as many matchdays.
In the third day of the Men’s Nationale 2, Cavigal Handball hosted Bagnols. The team from Nice aimed to continue their winning streak to maintain their lead in the group.
The players of Gérald Jean Zéphirin recently celebrated notable victories against Prades le Lez and Marseille. The visitors have one win and currently hold the eighth place in the group.
The beginning of the match was marked by the first event of the game. Just forty-eight seconds into the match, the Bagnols goalkeeper suffered a head wound. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, and the game was able to resume.
Thanks to excellent saves by Maxime Aicardi and his attacking prowess, Cavigal led by four goals after six minutes of play. Solid in defense and focused in attack, the teammates of Romain Boveron progressively pulled away. However, the pace of the match was quite slow, with set attacks rather than counterattack sequences.
The team from Nice really took their time to develop their game. At halftime, Cavigal led (18-11) and weren’t truly threatened by their opponents. The visitors lacked effectiveness in their attacks and couldn’t find solutions to withstand Nice’s offensives.
A more challenging second half
The team from Nice was unsettled at the start of the second half. Bagnols was more accurate in attack and took advantage of their numerical superiority.
Although they had an eight-goal lead, it was reduced to five goals five minutes into the second half. Like a wake-up call, the team from Nice regained their rhythm and bounced back. They rediscovered their offensive vigor, leading by ten goals after thirteen minutes into the second half.
With ten minutes left in the match, Nice’s coach Gérald Jean Zéphirin called a timeout to readjust his team. On the scoreboard, Cavigal remained in the lead, but Bagnols had closed the gap to four goals. The team from Nice needed to be careful not to falter in the final moments of the match. The locals resisted Bagnols’ comeback and maintained their five-goal lead to secure the win.
A third victory in as many days for the team from the Maralpine region. Gérald Jean Zéphirin’s players are at the top of this Group 6. They will travel to Saint Raphaël next Saturday. Bagnols will host Antibes Juan-les-Pins in an attempt to bounce back in this group.
