In search of confirmation after an encouraging start to the year, OGC Nice experienced a nightmarish evening in Toulouse, swept away (5-1) by sharp and inspired Violets. Despite a tense context but a slight improvement since Claude Puel’s arrival, marking his return to Ligue 1, the Nice team displayed their limitations, particularly defensive ones, against a confident TFC, now fully launched towards the race for Europe.
At the Stadium, the trajectories of the two teams already seemed to contrast. Toulouse, in 8th position at the kick-off, approached the second half of the season with ambition, bolstered by the returns of Sidibé, Nicolaisen, Magri, and Casseres. Carles Martinez Novell emphasized the continuity of Toulouse’s play despite recent absences, supported by the successful integration of the young players.
Facing them, OGC Nice arrived in a much more delicate situation. Without a win in Ligue 1 since October 29 at home against Lille, the Gym is dangerously slipping towards the relegation zone. Claude Puel, returned as a rescuer, is trying to stabilize a group that has lost its bearings, despite a slight improvement seen in the French Cup. But the numbers were relentless: six defeats in the previous eight away games, and a persistent mental fragility.
OGC Nice struggles, Toulouse strikes
The start of the match quickly confirmed Nice’s worries. As early as the 7th minute, Toulouse opened the scoring with a clear action: Santiago Hidalgo, already very lively, finished a perfect collective sequence initiated in the center and relayed by Yann Gboho and Aron Donnum. Nice was already behind, already overwhelmed.
The Eagles tried to react. Tom Louchet, from a corner, grazed the top corner (11th), while Elye Wahi made multiple runs without being found. But Toulouse managed its strong moments and transitions better. The VAR intervened in the 31st minute for a possible penalty, eventually dismissed, before Aron Donnum forced Maxime Dupé into an exceptional save (33rd).
Nice, despite some intentions, remained fragile. Malvin Bard forced Guillaume Restes into a fine save (38th), but individual errors continued to plague Nice. The Nice goalkeeper, shaky, almost gave the 2-0 to Santiago Hidalgo, saved just in time by Juma Bah on the line (41st).
The respite didn’t last. Just before the break, Frank Magri doubled the lead (45th), benefiting from a perfect cross by Yann Gboho and a too passive Nice defense. At halftime, the assessment was clear: Nice had the ball, but Toulouse had everything else — intensity, accuracy, efficiency.
A hope before the collapse
The return from the break offered a glimmer of hope to the Niçois. Elye Wahi, opportunistic, took advantage of a massive error by Djibril Sidibé to reduce the gap (49th). An action that symbolized both the striker’s fighting spirit and the Toulouse team’s nervousness on that precise action. The Gym came back to 2-1, and hope was rekindled.
But it faded as quickly as it appeared. In the 55th minute, Santiago Hidalgo, once again, scored a brace with a powerful shot at the near post, poorly judged by Maxime Dupé. The 3-1 felt like a hammer blow for a Nice team unable to manage their weak moments.
The rest turned into a debacle. Thiago Gouveia, who arrived at the beginning of the season, tried to wake up his team (67th) before Melvin Bard, suffering from a groin injury, was replaced by Ali Abdi (70th). Only four minutes later, in a reshuffled defense, Jonathan Clauss gifted the 4-1 to Crisian Casseres (74th), after a missed control in his area.
The nightmare continued with the fifth goal by substitute Julian Vignolo (81st), taking advantage of an apathetic defense to adjust Maxime Dupé with a low shot. The final minutes were just a long agony for the Eagles, utterly resigned.
A Gym in deep crisis
The final whistle sealed a humiliation with heavy consequences. Nice, defeated (5-1), sees the relegation zone dangerously approaching and confirms its immense difficulties away from home. Individual mistakes, mental fragility, and the lack of a collective reaction raise questions, despite Claude Puel’s efforts to revive a group that has lost confidence. Now 14th, just four points from the relegation zone, a response is expected from the Gym.
Next week, OGC Nice will host the Dutch team G.A Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday before traveling to Nantes for a match that could see the Gym plunge into the relegation zone once and for all against a direct competitor for survival.
