The Aiglons demonstrated a cold realism, where the Lille players lacked bite. Despite overwhelming possession by Losc, OGC Nice did not falter and secured a well-deserved victory (2-0) which propels the Gym to the 7th place in Ligue 1.
“We faced a very defensive low block that defended very well. We didn’t set enough pace. We forced things a little too much at times; we needed to be more patient. We lacked some energy and liveliness to unbalance them. When you lose, it’s inevitably a setback”… That’s how Lillios Benjamin André summarized the match, disheartened after his team’s defeat against Nice. Indeed, possession was rather in favor of the Lille players, without being realistic from the halfway line.
Bruno Génésio: “they didn’t have anything, we gave them the two goals”
Furthermore, Bruno Génésio confirmed it at the end of the match: “we certainly dominated the match, but without finding the breakthrough to trouble their defense. It’s difficult to play when we lack space…”, acknowledged the Lille coach, who preferred to minimize the role of the Nice players, probably to give himself a clear conscience in front of his supporters: “they had nothing to trouble us. We gave them the two goals” he asserted, probably wrongly. Because looking at the overall performance, nothing gave the impression that Lille had settled in the Nice camp, except perhaps in the second half, when victory began to take shape for the Aiglons.
Solid Defense and Lethal Counterattacks
And nobody has the right to blame Franck Haise for tactically wearing down his opponents, staying well organized at the back to surprise them with lethal counterattacks. It was with this strategy that the Nice players scored the two goals, the first with a penalty converted by Sofiane Diop with a lovely Panenka, proving the Moroccan international is going through a prosperous period full of confidence. The second came from the Swedish international Isak Jansson (23 years old). A solid defense and lethal counterattacks, that’s the winning recipe concocted by Franck Haise to put an end to LOSC’s three-victory streak and climb to the 7th place in the standings, toe-to-toe with Lille…
A strategy to which his players seem to adhere, becoming increasingly confident in their ability to beat anyone, as highlighted by Isak Jansson.
Yehvann Diouf: “After Lyon, Rennes, and Lille, the confidence is there before Paris!”
This is indeed the sentiment expressed by their goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf, who confirms his teammate’s words: “we are starting to find the right rhythm, after standing firm against Lyon, Rennes, and Lille. Three opponents of good caliber, nonetheless! This has allowed us to gain confidence after a complicated start to the season like many other teams. We are gradually gaining confidence and that’s a good sign for the future”, he adds, not forgetting to praise his teammate: Isak is a hard worker, he keeps his head down. He never gives up, like the whole team. We’ve learned to know each other, and we are very happy for him. Now, we need to maintain this confidence before facing PSG…” Another leading team in the championship that the Aiglons could topple if they play with the same tenacity. Could this be a trademark of this team going forward? Why not…
