Derby day on the Côte d’Azur. To open this sixth day of Ligue 1, OGC Nice faced AS Monaco in a top-of-the-table clash. At stake: a provisional first place in the standings.
With 15 goals scored at the start of the season, the Monegasques boast the best attack in the league. This bodes well, as Nice has a solid wall of defense, having conceded only four goals. No one has done better so far. In terms of line-ups, Francesco Farioli fielded his usual starting eleven, once again preferring Jordan Lotomba to Youssef Atal in the lineup.
Third consecutive victory for OGC Nice
Right from the start of the match, Nice put pressure on their opponents, dominating possession until a penalty in favor of the Monegasques was awarded in the eleventh minute. Unfortunately for Folarin Balogun, a Polish giant stood before him. Marcin Bulka didn’t flinch as he saved the rather unclear shot from the American striker. The hero of the evening would even repeat his feat in the second half by stopping a second penalty to keep the Eagles in the game (55′)!
The first half was quite closed off, but the game opened up more as the match went on, leaving Monaco very close to scoring after a goal by Wissam Ben Yedder (84′) was ruled offside. It was only at the very end of the match that a certain Jérémie Boga came into play. With a solo breakthrough leaving much of the Red and Whites’ defense bemused, the Ivorian international gave Philipp Köhn no chance: a splendid right-footed strike that proved unstoppable for the German goalkeeper (90+2′)!
Final score (1-0) for OGC Nice, still undefeated this season. Next match next Sunday at Allianz Riviera against Brest, currently third in the provisional standings.
