This afternoon, OGC Nice traveled to the pitch of Montpellier Hérault as part of the 15th day of Ligue 1.
Stay in the Top 6 before the break. That was the goal for OGC Nice this afternoon on the pitch at Mosson in Montpellier. Victory was imperative after the elimination in the Europa League this Thursday against Union Saint-Gilloise. Despite nine absentees in the squad for this game, Franck Haise was able to rely on Hicham Boudaoui, who was uncertain for a while. The coach ultimately stuck with the same 4-3-3 tactical setup already used against Le Havre last weekend.
And it paid off. As early as the 17th minute, the Gym took the lead thanks to a nice pass from Evann Guessand at the edge of the box. Gaëtan Laborde controlled and curled his shot into the top corner past Benjamin Lecomte (0-1). However, the joy was short-lived as barely five minutes later, Joris Chotard brought MHSC back level. The Montpellier midfielder received a fine cross from Jordan Ferri into the box and headed past Marcin Bulka (1-1).
The match picked up pace and swung again in favor of the Aiglons. Six minutes later, Pablo Rosario launched from his own half towards Badredine Bouanani. The Algerian midfielder, in great form in recent weeks, managed to dribble past two opponents before unleashing a beautiful strike. The Montpellier goalkeeper was beaten, and Nice reclaimed the lead (1-2).
A comeback reignites Montpellier
The second half was much calmer. Nice tried to secure their lead by creating two clear chances. The first was by Gaëtan Laborde, who lost his one-on-one with Benjamin Lecomte. Then it was Badredine Bouanani’s turn to shine with a shot that went just wide to the left of MHSC’s goal.
The rest of the match was more fragmented. Both coaches made multiple substitutions to try to alter the scoreline or maintain their advantage. In this tactical chess game, Jean-Louis Gasset found success. By bringing back Théo Saint-Luce, who had been absent from the field for many months, the new Montpellier coach made the right choice. The left-back proved decisive just minutes after coming on. Well assisted by Moussa Al-Tamari, he delivered a shot that ended up in the back of the Gym’s net (2-2 at the 80th minute).
The score stayed as it was. The Gym brought back a small point from Montpellier, which proved its worth, far from the relegation zone. With this result, OGC Nice remains in sixth place in Ligue 1, tied with RC Lens (24 points) and just one point behind Lyon, who still has to play against PSG. Therefore, nothing is decided yet in this Ligue 1 championship, which promises to be very tight in the second half of the season. Next, the Aiglons have an appointment with the French Cup next weekend. The Azuréens will travel to Corsica, to Bastia, to face Corte (N3). Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, December 21 at 6 p.m.
