Nice beats OM and football trembles

OGC Nice’s victory over their Marseille neighbors, secured in the last minute with a penalty converted by Ederson following an indisputable foul by Habib Beye on an unstoppable Bakari Koné who was twirling in the Olympique penalty area, is beyond question.

But the striking fact of this evening will not be this victory which somewhat relieves Antonetti’s men before their short trip to their other Monaco neighbors in urgent need of results. A young volunteer firefighter, 20 years old—who was part of a security service accompanied by equally impressive law enforcement—lost two fingers trying to pick up a pyrotechnic device thrown from a stand onto the pitch.

Let the UMP President rest assured; it does not appear that the explosive device which caused a loud detonation was thrown by the “Nice hordes of supporters” who demonstrated exemplary behavior in and outside a Ray stadium that sang flawlessly to accompany a quality match between two teams that respected each other.

At a time when the question of using video to “finally” settle delicate refereeing decisions is struggling to be the center of real debate, it is once again stadium security that resurfaces with the entry of a “homemade bomb” into a sports facility that was nonetheless extremely closely monitored. There is no doubt that Canal+ and surveillance images will quickly provide more details about this incident and that the perpetrators of this act can then be apprehended, but once again danger was in the stadium.

A stadium that nonetheless witnessed a high-level match between a Nice team hungry for points and goals and a wounded Marseille team that would not stop wanting to take three points.

It was said that in Nice, this weekend was not ordinary and it is Cyril Rool who opens the scoring by striking with his left foot from 20 meters a ball poorly handled by the Marseille goalkeeper.

He who is more accustomed to cards has just made one that found the target by giving an advantage that his teammates would maintain until halftime.

Everything would go more or less well until the 63rd minute when an impactful and determined Pagis would crucify an impeccable Lloris to restore color to a Marseille team that had raised its level of play for a few minutes. Everything had to be redone for Anto’s men and Ederson comes on to the Ray rectangle to replace a Vahirua who tried hard but was much sloppier. Abardonado receives a yellow card and the minutes tick away little by little until the 90th minute appears on the Ray board and the first impatient ones already leaving the honor stand disappointed at their protégés’ draw for the evening.

It is at this moment that Bakari Koné charges into the penalty area….. well, you know the rest!