Certainly a defeat (3-1), but many regrets over the course of a match that ultimately did not favor the eaglets, who return empty-handed from the land of Hérault. They’ll certainly need to do better this Wednesday against Lyon at the Stade du Ray to hope to advance to the next round in the Coupe de la Ligue.
The first minutes of play favored Nice as did the first chances, but the Hérault defense with Jourdren, their last line of defense who returned last night as a starter, was vigilant against the lively Meriem-Civelli duo. By the fifteenth minute, there was a clear points advantage for Claude Puel’s protégés, though nothing was reflected on the scoreboard. Bauthéac also tried his luck, but his attempt went just wide of the Montpellier goal.
It was not until the 25th minute that the locals had their first action, with a cross from Cabella which Camara connected with brilliantly, the ball brushing past the right post of Delle’s goal, likely beaten. The threat was close, and the game balanced out during the final quarter, which saw no clear chances until injury time when Civelli saved a former Nice player Mounier’s attempt on the line. A return to the locker room with a goalless tie accurately reflected the nature of the first half.
No changes at halftime and a first card for Montpellier and for Utaka, guilty of an elbow on Pejcinovic. Another incursion and strike from Bauthéac, but Congré cleared with his head. Shortly after, a clearance by Jourdren and a gross mistake by Palun gifted Camara the chance to open the scoring with his right foot early in the second half (1-0). The responses came with free kicks, but neither Meriem nor Belhanda converted, even as the game reached the hour mark and Mounier left his former teammates to be replaced by Charbonnier. Puel also made a substitution, replacing Meriem with Eysseric.
A new Hérault offense just after the hour mark, Cabella served Utaka at the offside limit, whose angled shot deceived Delle (2-0) and marked his first goal in Ligue 1 this season. It was almost as if the roof had caved in on the team!
Undeterred, the eaglets made attempts to respond, with Pied coming close to scoring, but his effort was denied by an inspired Jourdren, just as his Nice counterpart had to make two consecutive saves against Charbonnier to prevent further score escalation on the board. The last Nice change saw the entry of young and talented Bosetti replacing Pied, raising questions about the playtime given to the young Nice player, who might be more useful on the pitch than often found on the bench. Yellow cards began to rain down on Montpellier players.
As the final whistle approached, it was almost Christmas yesterday at the Mosson, as with another clearance from Jourdren, Civelli, attempting a header back, unwittingly deceived his advancing goalkeeper (3-0). Certainly, Cvitanich, at the end of the match, reassured himself by converting an uncontested penalty with a Panenka, but the scoreline remained heavy for the Nice team, who will certainly aim to correct these defensive inaccuracies before facing the formidable Lyon this Wednesday in the Coupe de la Ligue at the Ray…
To be continued!
